Chapter 2194: Deja Vu
Chapter 2194: Deja Vu
Wu Taibai advanced, and he immediately ascended the stone pillar to arrive in the garden outside Lu Yin’s home. As he looked at "Hao Yu," a strange expression flashed across the man’s eyes. "Prof. Hao Yu, you’ve already been a member of the academy’s faculty for half a month, and although I heard about you when you first arrived, I haven’t met you until now. I’m sorry to be bothering you today."
Lu Yin smiled. "It's no problem, Prof. Wu. Please, come in."
Wu Taibai entered the courtyard, and Lu Yin settled in as he poured some tea for Wu Taibai. "I’ve also heard of you, Prof. Wu, including that you’re one of the only Enlighter-realm instructors to have defeated the academy’s Eighteenth Lines Formation. That’s impressive."
Wu Taibai smiled. "It's not that impressive. By our age, many people have already become Envoys, just like you, Prof. Hao Yu. As an Envoy, you must also be able to break through the Eighteen Lines Formations. I really can’t compare to you, though that’s no surprise."
Lu Yin had been genuinely surprised when he first saw Wu Taibai, as given the young man’s talent, he absolutely should have become an Envoy by this point in time. Wu Taibai had not been imprisoned on Zenith Mountain, nor had he been left in the Fifth Mainland where there was no stellular energy. Thus, it made no sense that Wu Taibai was still an Enlighter.
Lu Yin believed that all of the most talented people from his generation in the Perennial World should have already become Envoys, but Wu Taibai had not.
"Even if I'm an Envoy, I’m not fully confident that I could defeat that formation. You’re overestimating me and selling yourself short, Prof. Wu," Lu Yin answered humbly.
Wu Taibai smiled and sipped his tea while thinking about something.
Lu Yin was in no hurry to move the conversation along. He already knew that Wu Taibai must have something to say concerning the matter with Xia Shenguang.
After a while, Wu Taibai set his cup back down. "Honestly, I came here to apologize to you, Prof. Hao Yu."
This was surprising. "Why would you say that? The two of us have never met, so how could you owe me any apology?"
"You’ve already met Xia Shenguang, correct?"
Lu Yin nodded.
Wu Taibai continued to say, "I am also a member of Shenwu's Sky, and Xia Shenguang is one of the most talented members of the Shen generation from my Shenwu's Sky. He was rude to an instructor, so as his elder, it’s only natural for me to make amends on his behalf. I am genuinely sorry, Prof. Hao Yu."
Lu Yin quickly replied, "It's really not a big deal. There’s no need for you to do this, Prof. Wu. Xia Shenguang’s just a student, so how could I take offense at the actions of a student?"
Wu Taibai smiled. "I already knew that Prof. Hao Yu is a broad-minded person and wouldn’t care about such a minor matter, but there’s also a second reason for my visit."
"Then let's hear it," Lu Yin encouraged. He assumed that this was also connected to Wen Zhao, and if that ended up proving true, then Xia Shenguang's behavior was because of Shenwu’s Sky.
Wu Taibai remained contemplative for a bit. "While this is not nice to say, I don’t have a choice."
The man grew serious as he stared at "Hao Yu." "Please forgive my bluntness, but will you tell me the relationship between you and Prof. Xiao Wen?"
Lu Yin frowned. "You can’t tell me that you also believe the students’ rumors, Prof. Wu."
Wu Taibai laughed. "Of course not. It’s just that the headmaster did make arrangements for you to live here, which is a bit of a mystery. I was hoping that you would be able to explain this to me."
Lu Yin stared at Wu Taibai. "What are you getting at, Prof. Wu?"
Wu Taibai and Lu Yin stared at each other for a moment before Wu Taibai looked away. "You should already understand that Xia Shenguang likes Prof. Xiao Wen, and Shenwu's Sky is hoping that Prof. Hao Yu will not get in the way. In exchange, you are welcome to ask us for anything."
Sure enough, Shenwu’s Sky is trying to get an inside source on the headmaster, and they want to interfere. This is rather interesting, Lu Yin thought.
"There is nothing to the rumors. I have no connection to Prof. Xiao Wen. So, does that satisfy Shenwu's Sky’s curiosity?" Lu Yin asked.
Wu Taibai nodded. "Shenwu's Sky does not like complications. Of course, if Prof. Hao Yu were not willing to back down, then it would only be fair to have a competition. My primary reason for coming here is to apologize for Xia Shenguang’s actions."
Wu Taibai was very straightforward, and he did not offer any threats or coercion. His words could only be regarded as ones of incentive, but there was no denying that Shenwu's Sky’s mere existence was a threat to Lu Yin.
Lu Yin smiled. "Prof. Wu, if you would like to understand why the headmaster arranged for me to live here, then there’s no problem in telling you that."
Wu Taibai immediately straightened up.
"I’m learning how to improve my domain."
Wu Taibai was caught off guard. "Your domain?"
Lu Yin nodded. "My domain has already reached the spirit manifestation realm, and I’m but a step from the void god level. Still, that step is too difficult to take on my own, so the headmaster was kind enough to have me become Mr. Tang’s neighbor. That way, I can ask him for some guidance from time to time. There’s nothing more to the situation."
Wu Taibai laughed. "Ah, it seems that we really did misunderstand, though this turns out to be a blessing in disguise. I’ve learned that Prof. Hao Yu is about to reach the void god level with your domain. Shenwu’s Sky will certainly offer our congratulations when that day comes."
The two men exchanged a bit more small talk, but everything that had needed to be addressed had been covered, so Wu Taibai soon said his goodbyes and left. However, before leaving, he looked straight into Lu Yin's eyes. "Prof. Hao Yu, have we met before?"
Lu Yin made a point of considering the question. "Probably not. Prof. Wu is from Shenwu's Sky, while I'm just an independent cultivator."
Wu Taibai smiled and left.
Lu Yin stared at the man’s back. Wu Taibai’s comment had not been referring to Lu Yin, but rather to Yu Hao. Yu Hao had married Xia Zhitong, and she was a member of the Xia family, which made her a part of Shenwu's Sky as well. It was certainly possible that Wu Taibai had met Yu Hao before.
If Wu Taibai exposed Hao Yu as Yu Hao, Lu Yin’s time in Virtue Archives would soon stop being as peaceful. Still, that was not a problem, as Lu Yin had already expected that.
There was absolutely no chance that Shenwu’s Sky would ever let the matter of Yu Hao pretending to be Hao Yu drop, so everything depended on whether or not they could target him while he remained in Virtue Archives. This was all part of Lu Yin’s initial plan.
How could Lu Yin get close to Shenwu’s Sky as Yu Hao without revealing himself? How was he supposed to ruin the four ruling powers' plot to intimidate the entire Perennial World with their treatment of the Yu family if he simply stayed hidden in Virtue Archives?
Lu Yin’s goal in his trip to the Perennial World was to rescue certain people, but he still had no idea how he could do that. All he could do right now was take things one step at a time.
For the time being, Lu Yin just observed his own stone pillar. It was time to make his own arrangements. Leaving the restrictions that Wen Zhao had placed on the pillar had already given rise to certain rumors, so it really would not be good if he continued using them. Additionally, if Shenwu’s Sky wanted to go after him, Virtue Archives’ attitude towards Lu Yin would be extremely important, and he needed to improve his standing in the academy before that time came.
These were the thoughts that ran through Lu Yin’s mind as he started placing his own restrictions on the pillar.
The best restriction for him to use was the Teleportation Formation, as it would simply move the students away from the pillar without causing the slightest bit of harm, and it would simultaneously demonstrate his abilities as an Array Master.
Lu Yin relaxed for the next few days. Nong Siniang did not return, and none of the other students tried to meet with Lu Yin. He spent some time in the academy library, as the credits that he had received from Nong Siniang were enough to give Lu Yin access to an additional floor.
Many of Prof. Xiao Wen’s students often visited the second floor to research ancient characters. Lu Yin was also curious about these ancient characters, as he also wanted to learn the Literary Prison. However, Lu Yin’s best option for a teacher was actually Wen Diyi, as the man had a much greater mastery of the Literary Prison than Prof. Xiao Wen. Also, were the two related? They both had the Wen surname.
Lu Yin did not release Wen Diyi while in Virtue Archives, nor did he take out the mirror to let Progenitor Smoke out. The academy was a place that the four ruling powers had a strong interest in, and the academy also had two Semi-Progenitors of their own. Thus, Lu Yin was worried about being caught.
His third class began, but after delivering two lectures, Lu Yin had already started to become much more comfortable with his job as a teacher.
Jin Chongshan also attended the class, as the Purple-Gold family had always been investigating the Undying Bird and Dark Undying Bird’s connection to Virtue Archives, and Lu Yin had addressed this matter in his classes.
However, Qing Feng also attended the lecture, which was very surprising to Lu Yin. Though, Qing Feng’s presence could be explained by his gratitude towards Lu Yin for allowing Qing Feng to receive some guidance from Mr. Tang, which had given him some measure of enlightenment.
Naturally, the girls who had the same attitude as Nong Siniang were also still in attendance, though there were not as many as there had been in Lu Yin’s first lecture. Instead, the people attending the third lecture was almost double from Lu Yin’s second class, and most of them were there due to the rumors claiming that he was living together with Prof. Xiao Wen.
Lu Yin saw the envy and jealousy in many of the male students’ eyes.
Half an hour of Lu Yin’s class passed. He brought up the fact that he had stumbled upon some information regarding Progenitor Wen in the academy’s library, and it sparked a bit of discussion when he shared it with the class.
It was at this time that Bai Nan arrived, though this time he did not seem to want to make any trouble for Lu Yin. Instead, the student looked both intrigued and rather smug as he stared at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin arched a brow when he saw Bai Nan’s expression, as it clearly indicated that something was going on. This kid really deserved a good smack.
Shortly after Bai Nan arrived, another person showed up, and their arrival caused Lu Yin to understand Bai Nan’s smug attitude. Xia Shenguang had shown up, and given what he had seen so far, Lu Yin assumed that the man was there because of Bai Nan.
Bai Nan sneered as he watched Lu Yin's rather eloquent lecture. Xia Shenguang’s here, so let's see how you deal with him!
Xia Shenguang’s arrival created quite a stir among the students. There were several Virtue Archives’ students who rarely attended any of the classes, not even Mr. Tang or Prof. Zheng’s.
The title of Junior Progenitor was something that was only given to the victors of the Yuanlun Festival, which meant that only youths from Xia Shenfei’s generation could be considered Junior Progenitors. However, the Junior Progenitor Planets still existed and could be used, though they had not been assigned to anyone yet.
Essentially, the only difference between Xia Shenguang and Xia Shenfei among their individual generations was that Xia Shenguang did not have the opportunity to participate in an excursion to the Dominion Realm, which meant that he did not have an opportunity to acquire any Origin Matter. As for whether or not he would actually be able to get and use Origin Matter to open his upper meridian point, that was something that would never be shared with outsiders.
As far as his peers were concerned, Xia Shenguang was a Junior Progenitor, and it was simply a matter of time before he was given a Junior Progenitor Planet.
If the female students in Virtue Archives pursued Lu Yin due to Yu Hao’s appearance, then Xia Shenguang’s existence excited them for a different reason: his strength and background. The two were viewed in entirely different manners.
In the end, good looks could never compare to the might of a Junior Progenitor.
"Prof. Hao Yu, can you explain the rumors concerning you and Prof. Xiao Wen?" Xia Shenguang spoke so loudly that his voice carried across the lake.
Lu Yin’s class only took up a small area near the lake, and there were many other students in the area who were not attending Lu Yin’s lecture. Some were fishing, resting, or training.
Xia Shenguang's words instantly drew everyone's attention.
Lu Yin calmly replied, "Student Xia Shenguang, there’s nothing for me to explain. The truth will naturally come out, and ignorantly pursuing such rumors only exacerbates the situation and causes more harm to Prof. Xiao Wen's reputation. Is this really what you want?"
Xia Shenguang lifted his head. "Then you should apologize, as you are the one damaging her reputation."
Lu Yin was using Yu Hao's appearance, and he had taken on the position of an instructor in Virtue Archives, which meant that he needed to alter his personality and shift his overall demeanor. However, even if he did not care about people trying to antagonize him, it did not mean that Lu Yin could not be riled up. Xia Shenguang had irritated Lu Yin enough that, if not for him impersonating Yu Hao, Lu Yin would have already smacked the young man down and forced him to reign in his actions.