Chapter 129 - 128: The Mentor Loan
Yuan Rui had been on the verge of asking if this stuff was even meant for human consumption.
His tongue felt like it had been violated!
But he quickly changed his tune, saying, "To think it can even temper one’s willpower! This is truly an exceptional medicine!"
His expression was sincere and pure.
Yang Shen raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? I hadn’t considered that. I think you have a point. Want me to share some with you? We can drink it together every day."
Yuan Rui cupped his hands. "I wouldn’t dare trouble Master Yang... We disciples have our own Supplements."
Yang Shen said coolly, "How about this: we’ll trade my medicine for yours. You give me some of your daily Supplements, and we can all temper our willpower together!"
"I won’t take advantage of you. We’ll do a 1:1 trade for an equivalent unit of ’Source Supplement.’ As for the price difference... we’ll just deduct it from the tuition fees."
When Yuan Rui heard his master actually wanted Supplements, not his life, he immediately relaxed a bit.
"Master Yang, there’s no need for such trouble. If Master needs Supplements, it is only natural for us disciples to offer them. We were foolish..."
Yang Shen shook his head. "The amount I need isn’t small. Let’s just do it my way."
Even the cheapest Source Supplement would cost over a hundred thousand to meet Yang Shen’s needs. For regular Supplements, it might be closer to 300,000.
Many of these disciples came from well-off families, but if they, as students, were to support him with over 300,000, their families would surely be displeased.
It would be like draining the pond to get the fish, and Yang Shen disdained doing such things.
But swapping drinks and sharing in the "bitter" suffering together was still an option.
Yuan Rui tried to talk his way out of it, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and agreed.
"But there’s no need to worry about the price difference... They’re all Source Replenishing Potions. Master Yang, you don’t have to calculate it so precisely. Even if there is a price difference, it’s what we disciples should cover."
Yang Shen shook his head. "The price of each of your Supplements is probably different. Remember to tally it all up. Business is business."
He was reluctant to part with cash, but he could certainly deduct it from his teaching fees.
Yuan Rui weighed the degree of suffering against the price of the Supplements... He didn’t know about the others, but he really, really didn’t want to drink it... He wasn’t short on Supplements...
’I’ll just secretly pour out whatever Master gives me...’
’As for the money I’ll lose, I’ll just consider it a loan to my master. It’ll be slowly paid back through his teachings anyway.’
’It’s pretty much like a loan.’
’I’ll call it the ’Benevolent Master Loan’!’
Master Yang was helping them boost their scores, so they should also help their master with his Cultivation. It was perfectly reasonable.
Yang Shen had no idea Yuan Rui’s little brain had just invented a new term. He simply parted ways with his disciples at the door of his classroom.
When he entered the classroom, he found Zhuzi was already at her seat.
The girl was engrossed in a practice test, probably trying to pull up her liberal arts scores.
Her swan-like neck was visible through the gaps in her short hair, a stroke of pearly white. Her delicate and coolly beautiful face was slightly furrowed, and her nose twitched occasionally, a clear sign she had run into a difficult problem.
"You’re early?" Yang Shen put down his schoolbag. "Congratulations on reclaiming your throne as first in the grade."
Xu Bamboo turned her head, her smile captivating. "Congratulations to you, too, for reaching the throne of first in the grade."
"Looks like there’s room for two on that throne."
Xu Bamboo patted the seat, motioning for Yang Shen to sit down quickly. She said brightly, "Haven’t we always been deskmates? What’s so special about sharing the top spot?"
Yang Shen smiled. "You’re right!"
——————
The news of a tie for first place in the grade made the monthly exam results an even hotter topic of discussion.
But at the same time, the buzz died down faster this time.
Because no matter what... there were only a dozen or so days of high school left. Excluding the break before the college entrance exams, it was two weeks at most.
Many people had no choice but to shift their focus early, to look toward the unknowable future. School life was no longer their everything, or even most of it.
Some were daydreaming about the freedom after the exams, while others were worried about the uncertainty that would follow.
You either stood out during the college entrance exams, or you were out on the circuit after.
Life was just one big tremor, but before it hit, everyone was filled with anxiety.
Yang Shen noticed that aside from his disciples, who remained as eccentric as ever, fewer people in the class were coming up to chat with him like last time.
It turned out Zhuzi was right. When people get used to your excellence, they no longer try to imitate you or pry.
They only watch from a distance.
During gym class in the afternoon, Yuan Rui submitted his compiled schedule as promised. After coordinating everyone’s pre-exam cramming schedules, they decided to add another hour from 7 to 8 in the morning, in addition to the training in the basement during gym class.
It was equivalent to the "Yang Family Army" adding a morning study session for themselves.
From now on, Yang Shen, as their master, would hold two sessions a day: a morning class and an evening class.
Yang Shen had no objection to this, as long as it didn’t interfere with his "Rising Sun Body Forging." It just meant he had to leave a little earlier in the morning.
The tuition for the afternoon session would be paid in cash daily, while the morning session’s fee would be converted to cover the price difference of the Supplements. Calculated over the dozen or so days, the total amounts were roughly equivalent.
As for whether they actually drank his medicine, Yang Shen didn’t care.
After guiding the group in the basement again, reinforcing the areas where they had lost points on the monthly exam, Yang Shen left with Xu Bamboo.
The classroom was already somewhat empty. In fact, a few people from the class simply hadn’t shown up today.
They had probably faced reality after the last monthly exam and, like Liu Wei before them, chosen to enter the workforce early.
What was once the most serious offense, "skipping school," was no longer something Nanliang High School would bother with.
For the only time in their lives, they were allowed to completely escape their youth.
The boy and girl walked side by side out of the academic building. The afterglow of the setting sun was brilliant, the clouds on the horizon a fiery orange-red.
Xu Bamboo shielded her eyes with her delicate hand, while Yang Shen stared directly at the sun.
Both of them already felt a little nostalgic for the hustle and bustle of campus, even though they hadn’t completely lost it yet.
"I’ve imagined many possibilities," Xu Bamboo murmured, "but I never thought of this one."
"Which one?"
"That the two of us could go to ’Jiangti’ together..."
Yang Shen was struck by the realization. ’That’s right, who could have expected this?’
The boy nudged the girl’s shoulder with his. "Do you think the concept of deskmates even exists in college?"
"Probably not... But I’ll definitely only sit with you."
Yang Shen suddenly remembered something. "By the way, I’ve always been curious... You’ve been first in the grade since our second year... How come no one ever made you switch seats with me?"
He used to think it was because of their height difference. Later, he figured it was because he was good at liberal arts and could tutor Xu Bamboo.
But now, after his grades had skyrocketed and he’d realized just how eccentric this society was, he suddenly felt that neither of those reasons was sufficient.
Even if Xu Bamboo herself had no objections, he had no doubt that someone would have slipped the teacher a red envelope to get their child to be her deskmate...
Xu Bamboo peeked at Yang Shen’s side profile and didn’t answer the question.
She just smiled. "I don’t know about that... Maybe... it was fated to be you?"
As soon as she said it, the girl’s face turned red, and she secretly glanced at Yang Shen’s reaction.
But Shenzi had already pulled out a bottle of brownish-black liquid and started chugging it down.
’I was so busy chatting, I forgot to take my medicine.’
’The medicine can’t be stopped.’
Yang Shen hadn’t told Xu Bamboo about his "cramming plan," because if she found out, she would definitely bring an entire case of "Initial Realm Passage" to his house.
Zhuzi would never allow Shenzi to suffer.
However, his other arrangements had to proceed as planned.
Yang Shen frowned as he digested the bitter taste, then took a deep breath and said, "We’ll continue the study group tomorrow. You can come and take another [Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill], and I have some other good stuff for you too."
At a rate of one Pill a week, this would be the third one. She would finish them just before the college entrance exams. He also needed to arrange for Zhuzi to have the Heart-Inquiry Water she had missed last time.
The girl nodded. "Right. At the last study group, I remember you gave me an Elixir Pill to take. What happened after that?"
Yang Shen was taken aback. "What do you mean, ’what happened after that’?"
Still basking in her joy, Xu Bamboo said casually, "I mean it literally. I remember taking the Elixir Pill, but I can’t recall anything that happened afterward... The next thing I knew, I was in the gym."
Yang Shen’s brow furrowed slightly, and his expression turned serious. "Explain in more detail. You don’t remember? Do you remember crying?"
This time, it was Xu Bamboo’s turn to be stunned. "Me? I cried? Why?"
Xu Bamboo believed Yang Shen wouldn’t lie to her, and Yang Shen believed Xu Bamboo wasn’t lying.
They both stopped in their tracks, caught in a state of immense absurdity and confusion, and stared at each other.
In the twilight, Yang Shen felt a sudden chill... His brow furrowed deeper and deeper...
’Something’s wrong... Something is very wrong...’
’Did Xu Bamboo lose her memory? Or am I the one who’s confused?’
’Impossible. I’m a third-level Qi Cultivation Cultivator. My Spiritual Power is full and far surpasses that of an Initial Realm Martial Artist...’
’And Xu Bamboo... a seventeen-year-old at the Mid-stage of Marrow Refining. Would she just randomly lose her memory?’
Yang Shen recalled Xu Bamboo’s previous headaches and her "fate of an early death" that hung over her like a sword.
He wasn’t willing to take any chances. Even the slightest possibility had to be stamped out!
A whole week passed before he accidentally discovered her memory loss! Who knew what the problem was, or when it might erupt!
He immediately grabbed Xu Bamboo’s hand and pulled her forward.
"We’re going to the hospital. No, the hospitals in Jinshui District won’t do. We’re going to the emergency room in Jianghuai City!"