8mi Chapter 515 : This One Is Named Wang Shenghan
Chapter 515 : This One Is Named Wang Shenghan
Xiao Mochi truly, from the bottom of his heart, felt that Lu Xiaoliu's mother was an extraordinary woman.As a woman of the red-light quarters, she had been able—under those circumstances—to raise Lu Xiaoliu to adulthood, and even earn money so that he could study.
Since Wei State would not allow Lu Xiaoliu to take the imperial examinations, she decided to take him to smaller countries that valued talent above all else, places without so many rigid rules.
After being abandoned by that ungrateful scholar, his mother didn't cry or make a scene.
Because she knew very well that no matter how much she cried or protested, it would be useless.
The two of them were no longer in the same social class. And as a courtesan, who would believe anything she said?
Worse still, it could even bring down deadly trouble.
Not only could she die—she might not even be able to keep the child in her womb.
In the end, this mother chose to give birth to the child, and raise him properly into adulthood.
She truly was an incredible woman.
The only thing she never expected was that Lu Xiaoliu would turn out to be so promising—that he would actually pass the entrance exam of Bailu Academy and become one of its disciples, and even become the direct disciple of a Jijiu.
Wei Kingdom might have many rules.
But once someone became a disciple of Bailu (White Deer) Academy, those "rules," in a sense, were no longer rules at all.
Lu Xiaoliu could already serve as an official in Wei Kingdom—or rather, once he finished his studies at Bailu Academy, Wei Kingdom and even other human dynasties would be scrambling to recruit him.
"Did that Wei noble have some grudge against you?" Xiao Mochi asked.
Normally, those Wei aristocrats should be trying to curry favor with Lu Xiaoliu, hoping to win his loyalty.
After all, if Lu Xiaoliu returned to Wei Kingdom in the future, his official rank certainly wouldn't be low. And with Bailu Academy as his backing, his network would be vast.
Yet that man kept making snide remarks in the shadows, dripping with mockery. It was hard to watch.
Doing something so thankless and self-destructive was not the behavior of a normal person.
Lu Xiaoliu smiled faintly. "Because that man's cousin is my half-brother… my younger brother from the same father."
Xiao Mochi: "…"
No wonder…
"Forget it." Lu Xiaoliu shook his head. "Let's not talk about this anymore. After today, he probably won't dare say anything again. He's bound to get a warning from the academy."
"Just drop it? No way!" Xiao Mochi stood up. "Tonight, we'll grab a sack, throw it over his head, and beat him up!"
Lu Xiaoliu froze. "Again?! Mochi, you really aren't afraid of punishment!"
"Heh heh heh." Xiao Mochi chuckled. "With something like this, do you really think the teacher will do more than make us reflect behind closed doors and copy scriptures as punishment?"
"…"
Lu Xiaoliu looked at Xiao Mochi, utterly speechless.
Xiao Mochi picked up a stick and patted it against his palm. "Honestly, the teacher can't stand this either. He's on our side.
"That light punishment? It's just for show."
"But isn't that still kind of…" Lu Xiaoliu hesitated.
"Stop thinking so much! Hurry up and come!" Xiao Mochi grabbed Lu Xiaoliu by the arm and dragged him out.
"We'll beat him in secret. He won't even know who did it. And even if he guesses, so what? Does he have any evidence?"
"Just tell me—are you coming or not?"
Lu Xiaoliu thought for a moment, then grinned. "Then let's go!"
On a dark, moonless night, Cao Zhen—the son of the Third Princess of Wei Kingdom—was returning from a moon-viewing stroll by the Ink Pool.
But just as he reached the halfway point, his vision went black.
In the next instant, a sack was thrown over his head, and a stick came crashing down on him again and again.
"What are you doing?!"
"Ah!"
"Stop hitting me!"
"Do you know who you're hitting?!"
"Stop!"
"Don't kick my balls!"
"F*ck!"
Xiao Mochi and Lu Xiaoliu swung their sticks one blow after another.
They weren't trying to beat him to death, but beating him black and blue—making sure he couldn't get out of bed for two or three days? That was absolutely doable.
"Who are you?! What are you doing?!"
Just as they were beating him with great enthusiasm, several nobles from other dynasties spotted them from not far away.
"Not good! Run!" Xiao Mochi said in a low voice, and he and Lu Xiaoliu threw down their sticks and bolted.
Even after they had run far away, they could still faintly hear Cao Zhen's furious shouting behind them:
"I'm going to die of rage! I, a young master, actually got jumped from behind! Catch them! Catch them!"
Half an hour later, the two finally shook off their "pursuers" and climbed to the top of a mountain, panting as they dropped onto the grass.
They exchanged a look.
And then, unable to hold it in any longer, they burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha!"
Their laughter echoed through the forest.
"Mochi, you're a brother I, Lu Xiaoliu, acknowledge for life!" Lu Xiaoliu declared boldly.
Lu Xiaoliu didn't have many friends. Strictly speaking, Xiao Mochi was his first.
"Am I supposed to feel honored?" Xiao Mochi lay back on the grass.
Lu Xiaoliu smiled. "If that's how you want to see it, then there's nothing I can do about it."
Lu Xiaoliu lay down beside him. The moment they looked up, all they could see was a sky full of stars.
"Mochi," Lu Xiaoliu asked, "does your Wu Kingdom need people? If you don't mind… when the time comes, I'll go to Wu Kingdom and get myself some minor official post."
"Of course!" Xiao Mochi nodded. "The current emperor of Wu Kingdom is young, but he grew up with me. I know he has great ambitions. You'll definitely be able to make a name for yourself!"
"Alright, then it's settled!" Lu Xiaoliu made up his mind. After leaving the academy and spending those years traveling the mortal world to gain experience, he would choose Wu Kingdom—and bring his mother there, too.
"By the way, Xiaoliu, have you noticed something?" Xiao Mochi turned his head and looked at him.
Lu Xiaoliu plucked a blade of grass and chewed on it. "What is it?"
"Our courtyard—our courtyard was supposed to house three people. But the academy has been open for three days now, and that third person still hasn't shown up." Xiao Mochi had been curious about it for days.
"Maybe something delayed him. Or maybe our dorm was only meant for two people to begin with." Lu Xiaoliu didn't really care.
And then, early the next morning—
Lu Xiaoliu and Xiao Mochi were still in the courtyard copying scriptures when a man carrying a travel pack arrived outside.
"Greetings, brothers." The man clasped his hands in salute. "May I ask— is this Jia Shui Dormitory Fifteen?"
"It is." Xiao Mochi returned the greeting. "May I ask who you're looking for, brother?"
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself." The man saluted once more. "I am a new student of Bailu Academy, assigned to Jia Shui Dormitory Fifteen. My surname is Wang, and my given name is Shenghan."