I flew on a sword at the magic academy

Chapter 3: Governing by Non-Action, A Sudden Enlightenment

Shi Daohan looked in the direction of the sound and his face froze instantly, because the wooden sign read: Sword cultivators and dogs are not allowed to enter!

"Ah..." Just as Shi Daohan was thinking about how to answer Academician Venus's question, a scream that shattered the sky suddenly came from the Department of Pharmacy.

"Who stole the century-old Snow Lingzhi and Angelica from my herb garden?! And which bastard stole the top-grade Breakthrough Pill I just refined?!"

Before the words were finished, another voice, choked with sobs, rang out.

"Who was that swordsman wielding the Xuan-grade fourth-level Ghost Blood Sword? He stole my alchemist's pill furnace and pills, and I caught him red-handed, and he even slashed me! Ah—wooo—wooo, that's not fair!"

……

Upon hearing these sounds, both Academicians Daniel and Venus turned somewhat grim.

Although they did not possess the profound method of divine language, they had some minor means of translation and understood the general meaning of the voices, but they did not say anything more.

Shi Daohan steeled himself and led them on their way toward the Beast Cultivation Academy.

Like the Medicine Cultivation Academy, there is also a sign here that reads: "Beast Cultivation Restricted Area, Sword Cultivators Are Not Allowed to Enter." It also bears five claw marks from beasts that have penetrated the wooden planks.

The difference is that they didn't add a "No dogs allowed" sign here, since dogs are animals too.

"The Beast Cultivation Department mainly offers majors in communicating with beasts, taming spirit pets, and cultivating battle spirits," Shi Daohan explained as they walked ahead.

Before they even got close, a commotion came from ahead.

"I'll say it again! You can't eat spirit beast feed, you can't steal spirit beast excrement, you absolutely can't sell it, and you absolutely can't kidnap spirit beasts! All you sword wielders, listen up! If I see any of you at the Beast Cultivation Academy again, don't blame me for unleashing a Taotie to devour you!!!"

"Who! Who plucked my adorable nine-tailed spirit fox bald? I finally found this one in the Hundred Beast Forest! I was planning to raise it as my natal battle spirit! Now the little guy feels ugly and doesn't want to eat!"

……

Next, Shi Daohan led the two academicians to visit the Talisman Cultivation Department and the Physical Cultivation Department, where they encountered similar situations.

"Ah—! Who stole my talisman! I had it custom-made, it cost me a month's worth of food money, you know that? Waaaaah, give it back to me right now..."

"Damn it, which bastard stuck a Five Thunder Talisman on my forehead while I was sleeping! You better not get caught, or you're in for a world of trouble!"

……

Upon reaching this point, Academician Venus finally couldn't hold back any longer. Her face darkened, and she said, "Miss Daohan, I think you should explain to us what exactly is going on."

I cannot send our Horagaka students to study in a place full of thieves and robbers; I must make that clear to you.

"No, no, no, we don't have any thieves or robbers here," Shi Daohan quickly waved his hand, his mind racing as he thought of how to answer.

"Borrow, yes! It's a loan!"

Shi Daohan's eyes lit up, and he started rambling, saying, "Our senior brothers in the sword cultivation department are all people who like to joke around. Sometimes when they see something they like, they will borrow it to take a look, but they will return it afterwards."

"I remember there's a saying in China: 'Taking something without asking is stealing.'" Academician Venus was clearly not convinced by Shi Daohan's explanation.

[This flamingo knows this?]

Shi Daohan inwardly grumbled, but she quickly came up with a solution, saying, "As the saying goes, what is borrowed must be returned. I must at least get the item from you before I can return it to you, right? So this is a process of borrowing and returning, and it's also a way to promote friendly relations between us."

After hearing what he said, both academicians were completely taken aback.

"But the students here don't seem to have much of a friendly relationship," Academician Daniel said.

"Oh? What makes you say that, Academician?"

Shi Daohan followed his gaze and his face immediately darkened.

Not far ahead, in an open-air plaza, several cultivators from the Body Cultivation, Sword Cultivation, and Military Cultivation departments were engaged in a fierce battle.

The cultivators from the Talisman Cultivation and Music Cultivation schools, for some reason, got involved as well.

The cultivators of the talisman cultivation school raised their hands and threw out various talismans, some of which caused thunder and others to explode.

The cultivators from the Music Cultivation Department also brought out an ancient zither. The clear, resonant sound of the zither pierced the sky, and waves of sound, like raging waves, spread in all directions, creating a truly magnificent scene.

Both Academicians Daniel and Venus considered themselves to be people who had seen a lot, but they were still shocked by what they saw. Their faces showed solemnity, and it was unclear what they were thinking.

"These brats are really good at causing me trouble," Shi Daohan said, feeling embarrassed.

"Is this also a way for you to strengthen your relationship?" Academician Venus asked in a strange voice.

Shi Daohan nodded with a forced smile and said, "Beating is a sign of affection, and scolding is a sign of love. Besides, in China, there is a saying that you can become friends after a fight and forgive each other with a smile."

Both academicians nodded in understanding, but still expressed some concern: "But wouldn't someone inevitably get hurt? Why didn't your teachers come out to stop it?"

Although they didn't understand the mystical arts of the Eastern esoteric schools, they could still tell that those who were having "friendly exchanges" in the square were all promising talents, and they would feel sorry for them if they got injured and bled.

"We advocate non-intervention and generally do not intervene." Shi Daohan could not think of any other reason, so he could only use non-intervention to deal with the situation.

"Governing by doing nothing? What does that mean?"

The two academicians asked the question at the same time.

"It means that if you can avoid getting involved, then don't get involved. Just observe quietly as an outsider," Shi Daohan explained.

"Why?" the two academicians asked, puzzled.

"No matter how well you cultivate flowers in a greenhouse, can they withstand the ravages of natural weather like storms and torrential rains once they leave the greenhouse?" Shi Daohan asked rhetorically.

Seeing that both academicians were deep in thought, Shi Daohan raised an eyebrow and pressed on while the iron was hot, his voice becoming louder.

"Without enduring the bitter cold, how can the plum blossom exude its fragrant scent? What we in Shushan need are plum blossoms that bloom alone in the cold, not those delicate greenhouse flowers that are all show and no substance!"

"Perhaps in your eyes, our Shushan sect is lax in its discipline and disorganized, but that is not the case. Our policy of non-interference does not mean that we do nothing. When some disciples go astray, we will lend a helping hand and bring them back to the right path."

"We provide them with a sufficiently free environment for cultivation, allowing them to grow at their own pace and roam freely in this vast world."

"I dare say that our management of Mount Shu is successful. None of the cultivators from any faction are cowards, because their strength is all earned through real combat, and that's exactly the effect we wanted!"

After a passionate speech, both academicians fell into deep thought and self-doubt.

"Wrong, wrong! Daniel, we at Horagaka Academy, no, the entire Western magical world, have been on the wrong track from the very beginning! We talk about freedom and democracy, yet we've built a cage of ironclad rules and regulations to imprison our students!"

"They should be eagles soaring freely in the sky, or horses galloping freely on the vast grasslands, but we have confined them to small birdcages!"

"Do you understand, Daniel? We strangled our students with our own hands; we sawed off their hands, feet, and wings. We are all sinners!"

Academician Venus roared in near collapse.

Academician Daniel also suddenly realized his mistake and muttered to himself, "We... are sinners."

Shi Daohan's words were like opening a window for them, allowing them to see the bright sunshine.

"I'll write to Headmaster Donaldson right now and ask him to rescind some of Horagaka's rules. No, writing a letter is too slow."

Academician Daniel stamped his foot in frustration, then looked at Shi Daohan, his tone filled with anxiety and pleading, "Miss Daohan, when can you return to Horagaka Academy with us?"

"We can leave now, I've already packed my things," Shi Daohan replied quickly.

"Great, great, great!" Daniel nodded excitedly, but when he saw that Shi Daohan wasn't carrying any bags or anything, he couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Miss Daohan has so little stuff?"

Shi Daohan shook his head and said, "It took me a long time to tidy up."

The two academicians were unaware of the existence of storage rings and found it strange, but upon hearing that they could set off immediately, they said nothing more.

Daniel took out a broom from his bag. It was much more exquisite than an ordinary broom, and it was inlaid with a sparkling gem at the end.

"What is the academician doing? There is no reason to let guests clean for us..." Shi Daohan saw Daniel take out a broom and thought he was going to clean up the house before leaving, so she hurriedly stopped him.

But before she could finish speaking, Academician Daniel had already mounted his broom.

"This is..." Shi Daohan was dumbfounded again, standing there in a daze.

"Oh! Look at my forgetfulness, I completely forgot to bring you a flying broomstick too."

Daniel suddenly slapped his forehead and said regretfully, then moved forward, gesturing for Shi Daohan to sit down.

Judging from his words and actions, Shi Daohan guessed that the broom must be a magical artifact that could carry people into flight.

"No, no." Shi Daohan waved her hand. Although it was quite novel, she still felt it was a bit unreliable.

Under Daniel's questioning gaze, Shi Daohan uttered a soft cry, "Sword, come!" A long, purplish-blue sword slashed through the sky, its powerful sword energy forming swirling winds that caused the surrounding trees to sway violently before finally coming to a steady stop in mid-air in front of her.

(End of this chapter)