Compared to the bustling north and southeast, the southwest region where the Shu Mountain is located is considered somewhat remote, with neither Confucianism nor Taoism flourishing. In the vast land of the southwest, there are only a few famous academies, and Nanshan Academy is one of them. Although it has never produced top scorers or second-place winners in the historical imperial examinations, it has had a third-place winner.
Unfortunately, the third-place winner was later imprisoned, and Nanshan Academy lost some of its glory.
Nevertheless, this place is still the first choice for the children of officials and nobles in Yanjiao City.
Today, a new student has arrived at Nanshan Academy.
"Fellow classmates, let's welcome Chu Liang to join our class," the old teacher said as he stood in front of the class and raised his hand, whereupon a handsome young man in brocade robes walked in, attracting all the attention in the classroom.
He had clear features and an outstanding appearance, and even though he wore the same Confucian robe as others, he seemed to carry a certain air of aloofness. Responding to the teacher's call, he entered the classroom and nodded slightly to the people below.
Following behind him was a book boy with thick eyebrows, bronze skin, and a plain blue hat, carrying a heavy book basket, looking somewhat sullen.
"Chu Liang, find an empty seat and sit down. We're about to start today's lesson," the teacher instructed him after he introduced himself.
"Yes, sir." Chu Liang bowed to the teacher before walking to his seat.
There were about twenty boys and ten girls in the class, each with their own desk. After looking around, he sat in an empty seat at the back, next to Li Jue, who seemed somewhat absent-minded.
As he was about to sit down, the old teacher reprimanded, "Book boy, don't come in. Wait outside. If you have the desire to learn, quietly listen from the window without disturbing."
"Oh..." The book boy behind Chu Liang stopped in his tracks, put down the book basket, and then sneakily left the classroom.
This book boy was none other than Lin Bei.
He stood outside the classroom, looking in and caught Chu Liang's gaze, still somewhat resentful.
"Why is it that you're a student when we're both at the academy, but I'm just a book boy?" he conveyed his indignation silently through his eyes.
"Probably because we have different temperaments, and roles don't distinguish between high and low," Chu Liang responded with a glance.
"I don't understand," Lin Bei was still not convinced.
"Alright, as a book boy, it's more convenient to gather information. You might as well inquire within your circle and see if you can find some clues about this mysterious case," Chu Liang replied again.
Lin Bei then relented and turned to join his book boy circle.
The children at Nanshan Academy came from local wealthy and official families, so they naturally brought their book boys and attendants. With so many people, it was not possible for all of them to enter the classroom. There was a separate room in the courtyard for them to rest, and if they wanted to study, they could listen from outside the window. As long as they didn't make a noise, they wouldn't be restrained.
The classes at Nanshan Academy lasted a long time. After the first class, the students around were somewhat tired, but Chu Liang was still enthusiastic. He used to be an excellent student and was quite nostalgic for the classroom environment.
His former teacher said that he just lacked focus. If he could concentrate on his studies, no one could surpass him, and his potential was limitless. Unfortunately, his interests were too diverse, and he had excelled in all kinds of sports, various card games, and all kinds of games.
So I only ranked third in the province.
The person next to me, Li Jue, seemed to have slept poorly last night, and had already fallen asleep in class. Chu Liang wasn't worried about him, so he looked around to see if he could strike up a conversation with someone.
Just then, the girl with small freckles on her face beside him looked at him with sparkling eyes and curiously asked, "Classmate Chu Liang, where are you from?"
People are always curious about good-looking transfer students.
"I'm from Xingzhou City," Chu Liang replied with the prepared information.
"Xingzhou City? Why did you come to Nanshan Academy then?"
"Because of family reasons, the whole family moved here, so I had to come here too," Chu Liang smiled.
"Nanshan Academy is quite good, it's one of the best in this region," the girl said with a smirk after seeing him smile.
"I also thought so before I came here, that coming to Nanshan Academy might be a good idea," Chu Liang seemed a bit worried, "but after coming here, I suddenly feel a little worried..."
"Worried about what?" the girl hurriedly asked.
"I heard that this academy has been haunted recently," Chu Liang said in a low voice.
"Oh..." the girl's expression suddenly became serious. She looked around and lowered her voice, "That's true, but you don't need to be afraid, only a few bad guys..."
"Li Chunxia!" Suddenly, a scolding voice came from the side, "Are you being nosy again?"
The girl who was talking to Chu Liang shivered and quickly shook her head, not daring to speak again.
It turned out that not far ahead, a muscular young man stood up, looking unfriendly towards their direction. It seemed like he was very sensitive to their whispered conversation, and even heard it from several rows away.
The strong young man pointed at Chu Liang, "You're new here. If you want to study here seriously, don't inquire about things, got it?"
Faced with this aggressive warning, Chu Liang smiled and nodded, not saying a word as if nothing had happened.
At this time, a gentle voice came from behind, "Yan Xiaohu, why are you being so fierce again?"
"Teacher Song..." Yan Xiaohu immediately became obedient when he heard the voice, turning around and sitting down.
A woman in a plain blue long skirt and a short blue cardigan walked in. She was tall and slender, with simple hair tied up, revealing a fair and delicate neck and ears. Her skin was smooth and her facial features were clean, with deep black and bright eyes.
Although she had a stern face and a demeanor of acting older, it was obvious at first glance that she was not very old.
"This is also a teacher of the academy?" Chu Liang was surprised.
This woman looked too young.
Then, this Miss Song came in from the door, walked to Li Jue, gently nudged him to wake him up, and then slowly walked up to the platform, saying softly, "Let's start the class."
Li Jue, looking at this teacher, unusually perked up.
Compared to the old man who had tried to wake everyone up with all his might but ended up in vain, her voice was gentle and soothing, almost whispering. However, all the students below, regardless of gender, became alert, and not a single person felt drowsy.
"Do we have new students today?" Mr. Song looked at Chu Liang and began, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Song Qingyi, and I am the poetry and writing instructor at Nanshan Academy."
Chu Liang met her gentle gaze and felt a faint sense of strangeness.
Although Song Qingyi was young, her knowledge was profound, and her class was both insightful and amusing.
After class, it was time for lunch break.
On the way to have lunch, Chu Liang met Linbei.
"How's the investigation going?" Chu Liang asked.
"I've found out everything," Linbei said excitedly, "That Mr. Song is named Song Qingyi, from the south of the Yangtze River. He just arrived at Nanshan Academy a few days ago, he's about eighteen or nineteen years old, and he's unmarried!"
Chu Liang: "?"