Medicine Master Disc Chapter 156: Tang Xiaoxue Keeps Him Company by Lamplight

Good students received preferential treatnt wherever they went.

Li Qiuchen had spent the previous evening worrying about the Golden Valley Trading Company situation.

The very next day, Senior Brother Yang sought him out in person and told him that all the trouble had been dealt with, and that he should focus on preparing for his illusory realm trial.

What exactly did all the trouble has been dealt with an?

Li Qiuchen asked around and learned that the Golden Valley Trading Company people camped in the Mining District had co down with a collective case of food poisoning.

Senior Brother Yang's approach... true to the dicine Master lineage. He had arrived at the sa solution Li Qiuchen had been considering.

Without the dicine Master's blessing, Senior Brother Yang's expertise in this area was nonetheless professional in the fullest sense.

This only further solidified Li Qiuchen's conviction that when it ca to any future need for eliminating soone quietly, he absolutely could not use the dicine Master's thods.

The dicine Master's blessing benefited all living things, and was not a monopoly with no alternatives.

Those who carried the blessing, those who lacked the blessing but were devoted to the dicine Master's way, or those like Senior Brother Yang who had no religious devotion but had studied the field thoroughly, could all produce similar results.

With the Golden Valley Trading Company dealt with, or at least temporarily dealt with, Li Qiuchen could finally direct all his energy toward his second attempt at earning three first-class ratings.

The first two rounds were manageable. The third was the real problem.

Embracing Stone Academy was the most infuriating slip imaginable, but did that an the other illusory realms were easy? Not necessarily.

The best solution, and the most straightforward one, was simply to study.

Thorough familiarity with the Five Classics was the foundation for a steadfast Dao Heart.

The Returning Changes, the Rites of Sacrifice, the thods of Law, the Songs and Odes, and the Historical Chronicles.

Master Qin currently taught only the Rites of Sacrifice and the thods of Law. Passing the illusory realm trials smoothly required at least so knowledge of the other three.

The Returning Changes was a record of the patterns governing all things in the world.

The earliest version was said to involve manipulating small sticks and using the hexagrams to predict change in all things.

The current edition was a vernacular annotated version, more complex and more detailed.

The Songs and Odes presented an understanding of the world from many different perspectives.

The earliest version collected poems and invocations from various regions, through which scholars ca to understand the world's conditions.

The current Songs and Odes resembled more of an anthology of essays, gathering the finest writings and canonical texts passed down from generations of scholars.

The reason children couldn't study this one first was that the classic pieces within it were incomprehensible without a foundation in history. Not just the deeper aning hidden between the lines, but even the surface-level literary references would be beyond understanding.

The Historical Chronicles was a reference work integrating astronomical observation, geography, and the study of natural patterns.

Honestly, in Li Qiuchen's view, these were at minimum the equivalent of specialized high school courses from his previous life.

He had studied this material before transmigrating, and here he was studying it again after transmigrating. What exactly had he gained by coming here?

But there was no avoiding it. Nobody was holding a weapon to his head and forcing him.

He was the one who wanted to advance.

Classes during the day, then back ho to study by lamplight through the evening.

Fortunately Li Qiuchen had a sufficiently mature mind. If he hadn't, he would have been grinding his teeth just trying to get through these brick-like texts.

He turned a new page, rubbed his aching eyes, and administered two drops of his specially prepared eye drops.

Studying with a ferocity that bordered on obsession.

Even with my advantages this is extraordinarily demanding...

How had Senior Sister Jiang Tingyue gotten into Evergreen Academy at twelve years old?

The world had no shortage of genuinely extraordinary people.

While Li Qiuchen was reflecting on this, footsteps could be heard gradually approaching outside the door.

From the sound, it was Tang Xiaoxue.

She never knocked when she ca in.

Obviously. It was her house.

"I made you tea."

Li Qiuchen forced his eyes open to find a pair of snow-white socks swinging at eye level.

The young miss was getting better and better at kicking off her shoes and climbing onto the kang.

"Governess Zhang taught

how to blend this ginseng tea. She says it helps sharpen the mind."

Tang Xiaoxue settled herself beside Li Qiuchen and pushed the steaming cup toward him.

At my current level of cultivation I don't actually need ntal sharpening. What I need is rest. It's ntal fatigue more than anything else.

If I genuinely got drowsy I have plenty of ginseng in my pocket that I could eat raw like a cucumber.

Li Qiuchen naturally said none of this out loud.

The young miss had co out of genuine good intentions.

"Thank you, young miss."

Li Qiuchen took the cup and had a sip. Ginseng, wolfberry, red dates... and sothing else, Solomon's seal?

Governess Zhang's ginseng blend seed more like sothing prepared for an elderly gentleman with aching joints than a young student.

By now Li Qiuchen could sample Tang Xiaoxue's creations without any psychological resistance whatsoever.

Which went to show that stereotypes were damaging.

Who said a poor student in the classroom was necessarily a disaster in the kitchen?

To be fair, Tang Xiaoxue wasn't poor at studying. Not caring about studying and not being capable of it were two entirely different things.

"Has Miss Hu gone to sleep?"

"She was out cold ages ago. Otherwise she'd absolutely insist on coming over too."

Tang Xiaoxue flopped onto the pile of bedding without any regard for appearances, both hands behind her head.

"Once you pass the third round, can you really start cultivating? Do we still have to read all this stuff then?"

"Probably... most likely, yes."

There was an entire Hongwen Hall full of texts sitting right there in the school.

"So annoying. I don't want to learn any of this."

Tang Xiaoxue sighed heavily. "I heard the military doesn't require you to read books. Maybe I should just join the army."

Li Qiuchen was alard. "Where did you hear that?"

"So girls talking between classes. I happened to overhear them. Soone, I forget who, said they'd failed several consecutive rounds of trials, had no spirit left for it, and were thinking about dropping out and joining the military to build character through hardship."

"Don't listen to that kind of talk. Soone who can't manage anything will be useless wherever they go."

"That's true, I suppose."

Tang Xiaoxue let out a long sigh, then rolled over and started tumbling around on the kang.

"Don't want to study don't want to study don't want to study..."

"All right, all right. You don't have to."

Li Qiuchen quickly moved to smooth things over.

"Don't be in such a rush. First get through the third round of trials. Once you can start formal cultivation, I'll find so thods that are simpler and more intuitive, and actually enjoyable to practice. That way you won't have to grind through material the way I do."

Tang Xiaoxue sat up abruptly. "Really?"

"Really. When have I ever lied to you? You don't need to worry about that part. I'll definitely sort sothing good out for you."

"That works then."

The young miss was finally appeased.

"One more thing."

"Go ahead."

"What do those Ruru people actually look like? Hu Caiyi said you saw so."

"..."

Li Qiuchen wasn't sure how to describe them.

"Quite unpleasant to look at, honestly. Barely human in appearance."

"Take

to see one soti. I want to see what the legendary ancestors of the Rakshasa ghosts actually looked like."

"There's nothing particularly worth seeing."

"Hu Caiyi tried to scare . She said that if I ever drank realgar wine I would revert to my true form and turn into sothing hideous."

"Drinking realgar wine to revert to true form? You already know she's just scaring you!"

"I'm just curious is all. What if I did turn hideous one day and you couldn't recognize ?"

"That won't happen. Don't say things like that. Very bad luck."

"I'm not saying it to anyone else."

"Let's find a chance at so point. Once the Golden Valley Trading Company people have cleared out entirely, if there's ti to spare, we can go down and look around. But the condition is that you need to have reached the Qi Refining realm first. That's the only way I can ensure your safety."

"Fine..."

With the young miss properly managed, Li Qiuchen returned to his reading.

Tang Xiaoxue sat beside him watching.

After a while, when things had gone quiet, Li Qiuchen turned to look, and found the young miss had wrapped herself in the blanket, curled up into a ball, and fallen asleep right there.

"Wake up. Go back to your own room to sleep."

"It's cold over there."

It absolutely is not cold! You're a Rakshasa ghost. What are you afraid of the cold for?

"Go on back. If Hu Caiyi wakes up in the morning and can't find you, she'll cry."

"Let her cry."

No, please. You two get along well and give

relatively little trouble. I'd like to keep collecting my pay in peace.

With nothing else for it, Li Qiuchen picked up Tang Xiaoxue along with the blanket and carried her back to her warm little basent room.

He tucked in both drowsy young misses, ca back out of the basent, and found Governess Zhang leaning against the doorway with a sowhat resigned expression, looking in his direction.

"What have you been stirring up behind my back now, big sister?"

"Not a thing. I simply told the young miss the story of a scholar's devoted companion keeping him company by lamplight."

Governess Zhang smiled gently. "Steward Li has outstanding ability and high aspirations. I understand he would have no interest in a foreign girl of her kind, but if the young miss doesn't put in more effort herself, she truly won't have much of a chance."

Li Qiuchen said seriously, "Sister, that framing is incorrect. It isn't a question of whether I can or cannot look favorably upon her. The issue is that I am wholeheartedly focused on my studies right now, and have no energy to spare for concerns of this nature. Taking a further step back, the young miss is still young, innocent, and without a ford sense of these things. This simply is not the right ti to be thinking about any of this."

"It's precisely because she's young that things are better settled sooner. Once both of you are a little older, more complicated thoughts will take hold, and that makes it ssier rather than neater."

Governess Zhang smiled. "If you're truly single-minded about your studies and don't want to be bothered with it, that's fine too. You just need to give a nod, and I'll go and discuss it with your godmother to have things settled. After that, it won't trouble you anymore."

"Sister, this is forcing a horse to drink."

"As the household's governess, the young miss's life affairs are naturally my first priority."

Seeing that Li Qiuchen's attitude remained completely unmoved, Governess Zhang shifted her approach, and suddenly spoke with seriousness. "Young Steward Li, I know that you are a person who values loyalty and obligation. And Boss Tang has shown you the kindness of recognizing your worth. If you truly wish to repay that kindness, you ought to agree to this arrangent, even if... you were to seek other companions afterward. For the young miss, it would not be a bad thing."

Li Qiuchen frowned. "I find myself not entirely following what you're saying."

"Is Boss Tang truly the honest, straightforward businessman he presents himself as?"

"Ah, well..."

"Does Boss Tang's feeling for the young miss run as deep as it appears?"

"I have my doubts."

Governess Zhang shook her head slowly. "I grew up in a grand household and have seen more than enough of such unsavory matters. I can tell you with complete conviction that n genuinely do not know how to raise children, and their feeling for their own children is not as deep as people imagine, especially when the young miss's mother is also absent. The bond of blood thins further under those conditions. You tell , what sort of decent person leaves his own daughter stranded a thousand li away without a second thought? Simply because he trusts you and ?"

"If the day cos when sothing goes wrong on Boss Tang's end, and he leaves the young miss truly alone here with no one. What is she supposed to do then?"

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