Cangmang Asks the Way 1: Guardian of the Lamp

On the first day of school at Jixian No. 1 Primary School, the campus, which had been quiet all winter, was bustling with activity again. A large crowd of people thronged the school gate, and students dressed in colorful winter clothes poured in like birds returning to their nests, chattering excitedly.

Cang Tianci walked steadily through the crowd, carrying the canvas schoolbag his mother had mended. He remembered the low-hanging dark clouds outside the window when he left the training hall yesterday. Now, those clouds were gone, and the sky was clear, but Sun Peng's resentful gaze still weighed heavily on his heart like those clouds, undispelled.

He walked silently through the campus, his posture upright, exuding a sense of stability rooted to the earth. Nearly a month of quiet meditation at the foot of the cliff and the constant practice of the Hidden Dragon Technique had, like a silent tempering process, reshaped his form and spirit. The sharp edges once sculpted by wind and sun remained, but the tension and resentment between his brows had dissipated, replaced by a deep, still tranquility. Most striking were his eyes; the timidity, anxiety, and easily ignited anger of the past had been tempered into a clear and focused gaze, seemingly able to pierce through the noise and reveal the essence of things. This transformation, like a tender bud breaking through the soil in early spring, was silent yet striking.

The moment he stepped into the classroom of Class 1, Grade 5, it was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples.

"Huh? That's... Cang Tianci?" a girl in the front row exclaimed softly, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh my god! He...how did he change? He seems to have grown taller? And...and gotten fairer?" Another girl covered her mouth, her eyes following the figure.

"Yeah, yeah, he seems... he's a completely different person! How come I never noticed him before... um... he's quite good-looking?"

……

Cang Tianci wasn't entirely oblivious to these whispers and glances; the keen perception granted by the Hidden Dragon Technique gave him an extraordinary awareness of the stares he received. However, he merely nodded slightly, returning the gaze with a calm expression, before continuing his journey to his seat. This unwavering composure only added to his air of mystery.

However, not all gazes were filled with curious scrutiny. Lin Wanqing was already seated by the window in the classroom. When that familiar yet unfamiliar figure came into view, her fingers gripping the pen tightened instinctively, and her breath seemed to catch in her throat for a moment.

It was him, yet not the him I remembered. The boy who had been wounded protecting her, his eyes filled with the stubbornness and forbearance of a lone wolf, now possessed the composure and confidence of a mountain.

A complex mix of emotions welled up in Lin Wanqing's heart. First, a barely perceptible sense of relief—he looked stronger and healthier, as if the wounds from that ordeal had healed, which eased the tension in her heart caused by her own situation. Then came a deeper worry—he was getting better and better, but what about herself? She was still that girl with a limp, burdened by her shameful family background and "stain." Would he still be the one to reach out to her in the darkness, like before? She dared not look at him.

As Cang Tianci passed by class monitor Lin Ruoxi, this tall girl, who was always aloof and unapproachable, turned her head slightly, a rare occurrence. Her phoenix eyes, which always held a scrutinizing and distant quality, lingered on Cang Tianci for a moment. This boy, whom she had once categorized as "taciturn, dull, and unsophisticated," was now exuding a calm, restrained yet powerful aura that surprised her. Her delicate brows furrowed almost imperceptibly as her gaze swept over Cang Tianci's sharply defined face, carrying a hint of assessment.

Just then, Song Wei, who was collecting winter vacation homework, looked up and saw Cang Tianci, and called out to him, "Cang Tianci, your homework is the only one left to be collected."

When Cang Tianci came to her desk to hand in his homework, Song Wei took the notebook, but her gaze lingered on his face for a moment. The girl with the ponytail and bright eyes blinked and smiled, "Hey, Tianci, you've changed so much over the winter break! Did you eat some kind of magic pill?"

Faced with this straightforward and friendly teasing, Cang Tianci was speechless for a moment, and could only smile shyly, his face slightly red.

Seeing his unusually flustered appearance, Song Wei's eyes curved into crescents. She didn't tease him anymore, but just smiled and shook her head, tidying up her workbooks and whispering, "Alright, go back to your seat, Teacher Zhang will be here soon."

The buzzing in the classroom stopped abruptly when the homeroom teacher, Zhang Zhengping, stepped into the room. This old teacher, known for his rigid and serious demeanor, habitually pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, his gaze sweeping across the class like a searchlight. When his eyes landed on Cang Tianci, his eyes behind the lenses visibly brightened, a hint of surprise flashing across them. His lips then twitched almost imperceptibly upwards, but he quickly regained his usual seriousness.

"Stand up!" Class monitor Lin Ruoxi shouted the command.

Hello, students!

"Hello, teacher!" the students shouted in unison.

After the students sat down, Zhang Zhengping did not immediately begin speaking. Instead, he walked over to Cang Tianci's seat, looked him up and down, and spoke in a slightly gentler tone than usual, but still with the authority of a teacher: "Cang Tianci, it's been a winter break, but you seem to be in good spirits. It seems you haven't wasted your time. I heard you injured your leg. How is the recovery going?" His gaze fell on Tianci's right leg.

Cang Tianci quickly stood up and respectfully replied, "Teacher Zhang... I'm all better now, thank you... thank you for your concern!" His voice still had a noticeable limp, but his tone was steady and his eyes were firm.

Zhang Zhengping nodded, his gaze sweeping over the entire class, and his tone returned to official: "Okay, good. Let's get back to the main topic. A new semester, a new beginning. Based on performance at the end of last semester and other considerations, the following adjustments are made to the class officer positions:"

He paused, his gaze falling on Cang Tianci: "Cang Tianci temporarily stepped down as vice class monitor last semester due to special circumstances. This semester, given his past positive performance and sense of responsibility, it has been decided to reinstate him. However, since his daily training time conflicts with the class officer's duty schedule, he needs a classmate to assist him with daily affairs." He turned to Lin Wanqing and said gently, "Lin Wanqing, you are an excellent student and meticulous in your work. You will assist Cang Tianci with class affairs. To facilitate cooperation, you two need to sit together." His gaze fell on Lin Wanqing's deskmate, Li Bin, and he directly ordered, "Li Bin, you and Cang Tianci switch seats."

"Okay, teacher." Li Bin happily packed his things. He was delighted by the teacher's seating arrangement. He had long since stopped wanting to sit with Lin Wanqing. This lame woman was always cold and aloof, giving off an unapproachable vibe that he found utterly annoying.

Upon hearing the arrangement, Lin Wanqing was slightly taken aback at first, then lowered her head and softly replied, "Yes, Teacher Zhang."

Cang Tianci nodded respectfully, "Thank you... thank you, Teacher Zhang!"

Zhang Zhengping watched the three quickly change seats, his face expressionless. Part of this decision stemmed from practical work considerations—Lin Wanqing was indeed meticulous and academically gifted, able to compensate for Tianci's lack of time. Another part was a way for him to make amends for the mistakes he had made with these two children.

"Putting the collaborative relationship, which had been tarnished by rumors, into the open, under his very nose, might... be a clumsy way of 'rectifying' and observing."

He thought to himself, then announced, "In addition, we will add a vice class monitor this semester, and Zhao Xiaohu will serve as the vice class monitor."

These two appointments surprised the entire class:

Wasn't Cang Tianci dismissed because he couldn't handle class affairs due to participating in the provincial competition? How come he's back so quickly? And he's even given an assistant? And this assistant is Lin Wanqing, who was embroiled in a "puppy love" scandal with him last year?

Aren't Zhao Xiaohu and Cang Tianci mortal enemies? Teacher Zhang making them both vice class monitors... that's just too much...

Upon hearing the appointment, Zhao Xiaohu's feelings were a jumbled mess, a mixture of emotions he couldn't quite grasp. Although he had finally obtained the position he had always desired, he felt no excitement as he had anticipated. He knew that this vice-class monitor position was only achieved after his father, Zhao Dabiao, had brought gifts and taken him to visit Teacher Zhang's house before the New Year. Why did he have to work so hard for something while this stuttering country bumpkin could get it so easily? Why?

He struggled to his feet and said, "Thank you, Teacher Zhang!" But his gaze was like a poisoned needle, piercing Cang Tianci and Lin Wanqing, who had just sat down.

Zhang Zhengping seemed to sense Zhao Xiaohu's change in mood and advised him, "Zhao Xiaohu, you have strong organizational skills, a wide range of interests, are good at expressing yourself, and are enthusiastic about class affairs—these are all your strengths. As the vice class monitor, you must set an example, abide by the rules, and focus more on your studies to be a role model for your classmates. Understand?"

Zhao Xiaohu nodded with a perfunctory smile, saying, "I understand, Teacher Zhang, I will try my best." But in his heart, he thought, "Hmph, obeying the rules, studying hard, setting a good example—who do you think you are? My dad didn't obey the rules, didn't study hard, and he still became the richest man in Ji County!"

Seeing his nonchalant expression, Zhang Zhengping said nothing more, only nodding and humming in response. His gaze swept across the entire class as he began his speech for the new semester.

Cang Tianci sat down in his new seat, with Lin Wanqing beside him, her head slightly bowed. He turned his head slightly and whispered to Lin Wanqing, "Wan...Wanqing, from now on, I'll be troubling you."

Lin Wanqing's body trembled almost imperceptibly, and she softly hummed in agreement, her head still lowered, but her tense shoulders seemed to relax slightly. At that moment, Cang Tianci felt something gently fall into his heart. It wasn't the heaviness of a stone falling to the ground, but the lightness of a snowflake landing in his palm.

He could feel Zhao Xiaohu's cold, venomous gaze fixed upon him. He silently circulated the Hidden Dragon Technique, the warm, mellow energy flowing through his body, gently soothing the discomfort caused by the malicious spying. He no longer felt anger or humiliation as before; instead, a peace bordering on pity rose within him. Zhao Xiaohu's tricks, in his current perception, seemed so childish and pathetic.

Outside the window, the early spring sunlight shone through the glass, falling on the two desks side by side, and illuminating the clearer and more determined lake of the boy's heart.

Unbeknownst to him, Zhao Xiaohu was watching him and Lin Wanqing's backs side by side out of the corner of his eye, the pen refill in his hand already broken in two.