Chapter 124: Slapping One's Own Face

The first round of the competition was a writing test.

Master Hou and Master Huang each selected ten characters, reciting them alongside poetry or idioms for the students to write down on their paper.

The characters were not overly difficult, but they were by no means simple.

"The 'crane' from 'a crane standing among chickens.'"

"The 'smooth' from 'smooth sailing.'"

"The 'willow' from 'willows shade and flowers bloom to reveal another village.'"

"..."

Many students knitted their brows and chewed on their brushes. Some wrote fitfully, some pondered in deep thought, while others looked completely bewildered. Although they had learned these characters before, it did not mean they remembered them all.

Only Lin Yanbei remained completely composed, writing down each character as soon as the master recited it.

Master Ge, watching from the side, beamed with satisfaction. Lin Yanbei was the most gifted student he had ever seen, possessing a near-photographic memory. A simple writing test was no challenge for him.

Once all the characters were read, two pages gathered the papers and presented them to the three masters.

On the very top was Lin Xiong's paper. Though he was a ruffian, he knew a decent number of characters, which was why Hou Tianlu had allowed him to participate. Out of twenty characters, he had written eleven correctly.

In truth, Hou Tianlu was rather dissatisfied, but he still forced a compliment. "Eleven! Not bad at all! The boy just didn't perform at his best today, likely due to nerves."

"Heh," Master Ge chuckled, not bothering to address him.

Hou Tianlu cursed him ten thousand times in his heart before moving on to the other papers.

"Ten."

"Eight."

"Seven."

"This one is decent, twelve."

"Five."

"There's even a three?"

Seeing that the students of Ruwen Academy got fewer and fewer correct, Hou Tianlu's face turned incredibly sour. He glared fiercely at his students, who dared not even breathe loudly.

Suppressing his anger, Hou Tianlu checked the papers from Haixing Academy. He refused to believe Haixing could be better than Ruwen. *Hmph... I doubt more than a few of them can even get ten right!*

"Thirteen," Master Ge said, frowning slightly. "This boy didn't perform very well today!"

Hou Tianlu: "..."

"Fourteen."

"Fifteen."

Master Huang's smile was so wide it almost reached his ears. "Splendid, splendid! Haha, it seems they really took my daily teachings to heart."

Hou Tianlu's expression darkened further. What did that mean? Was he implying that Hou didn't teach well, or that his own students didn't study hard? *Hmph... so they know a few more characters. What's the big deal?*

Despite his thoughts, Hou Tianlu was starting to panic. He realized he had overestimated Ruwen Academy and underestimated Haixing Academy. Could this competition he proposed end up blowing up in his own face?

Just then, he heard Master Huang gasp, "Twenty! All correct, without a single mistake!"

What? A student from Haixing Academy got a perfect score?

Green with envy, Hou Tianlu hurried over to look. The twenty characters on the paper were written in neat, elegant strokes, indeed without a single error. The signature in the bottom right corner read: *Lin Yanbei*!

Hou Tianlu gnashed his teeth in hatred. That cursed Lin Yanbei! He would make sure the boy paid today!

"Hahaha! As expected of Lin Yanbei, the pride of our Master Ge!" Master Huang laughed heartily. Since Lin Yanbei belonged to Haixing Academy, this brought immense glory to them all.

Sitting in the back with the other pages, Lin Sangqian felt a surge of pride as she watched. Her second brother was indeed incredible! He would surely achieve great things in the future.

Hou Tianlu could only force a look of admiration. "An excellent student! It seems our Ruwen students must work harder. Come, let us proceed to the next round!"

"Master Hou, wait a moment," Master Ge said with a smile. "It is lunchtime now. We cannot have the students compete on empty stomachs, can we?"

At his words, the students began to stir. They were indeed starving.

Lin Sangqian patted her own stomach. She wondered what the food at Ruwen Academy was like. Since their monthly tuition was so expensive, the meals ought to be decent, right?

"Ah, yes, of course," Hou Tianlu could only agree with a strained smile. Dammit. Not only had he lost face, but he also had to feed them! He deeply regretted his decisions now. Wasn't he just shooting himself in the foot?

Thus, everyone made their way to the dining hall.

Since the other students of Ruwen Academy had already eaten, there was plenty of room for their group of over twenty. However, when the food was served, the Haixing Academy crowd was utterly disappointed.

There was not a single speck of meat; everything was vegetarian, and barely a drop of oil was used. The rice tasted terrible, like eating sand.

Ruwen's tuition was twice as expensive as Haixing's! How could their food be this terrible? Even Haixing served meat every day for lunch! How could anyone get proper nutrition from this?

Sensing the disapproving stares of Master Huang and Master Ge, Hou Tianlu pretended not to notice and cheerfully took a bite of the vegetables. In truth, he never ate with the students; he usually enjoyed lavish meals in his own room. He always told the students that this was to build their character—that indulging their appetites would only distract them from their studies.

After lunch, Hou Tianlu suggested giving the students some rest. Master Huang and Master Ge naturally agreed.

Since it was the Haixing students' first time at Ruwen, they decided to walk around and tour the grounds together. Only Lin Yanbei sat alone in a small pavilion, engrossed in a book.

As he read, someone suddenly tapped his shoulder from behind. Lin Yanbei turned around to find Lin Xiong standing there.

"What do you want?" Lin Yanbei's expression instantly grew cold.

"Cousin, why are you looking at me like that?" Lin Xiong looked somewhat aggrieved. "We are relatives, after all. Now that my parents are in prison, I'm already miserable enough. Can't you treat me a bit better?"

Lin Yanbei remained expressionless, but he sneered inwardly. Playing the victim? That trick would not work on him.

"Cousin," Lin Xiong sat down beside him. "You're so amazing. You actually got all those characters right this morning. How did you do it? Teach me, will you?"

"I don't have time." Lin Yanbei lowered his head and went back to his book, ignoring Lin Xiong and letting him ramble on.

After talking to himself for a while and seeing that Lin Yanbei was completely ignoring him, Lin Xiong grew annoyed. He made a face at Lin Yanbei and walked away.

Once he was sure no one was around, he slipped into a small room nearby. Hou Tianlu was waiting for him inside.

"How did it go?" Hou Tianlu asked, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"Don't worry, Master," Lin Xiong said. "I did exactly as you said and slipped the item onto him."

"Good, excellent!" Hou Tianlu sneered conspiratorially. "The prized student of that old man Ge, is he? Heh, he will soon become nothing but a despicable thief!"