Volume 2: Jade Promise Chapter 6: An Invitation from Emerald City
In summer, wild flowers bloom everywhere in Wulong Town.
With the arrival of the summer solstice, everyone is looking forward to the annual academy summer list.
There are eighty-one aristocratic families and three hundred aristocratic academies, and four lists are released every year. Among them, the summer list is the graduation list. All graduates of the aristocratic academies that year will appear on this list.
By looking at the academy's summer list, you can see which academy it is, who graduated, and what their graduation results were.
More importantly, generally, the number of academy nameplates issued in the autumn list is determined by the number of people who graduated on the academy's summer list. Therefore, one can see from the summer list how many places are vacant in each aristocratic academy this year.
Tang Zheng was sitting at the counter of Jubao Pavilion, drinking light tea and watching the busy crowd on the street.
"The summer ranking list is released a little late this year." Ban Yiluo said as he sat behind the counter.
"Will it be earlier than this in previous years?" Tang Zheng asked.
"Haven't you ever seen the results announced?" Ban Yiluo looked at Tang Zheng strangely.
"No." Tang Zheng had just arrived in Wulong Town this year. Where could he go to see the results announced?
"Alas." Ban Yilou shook his head. He was used to Tang Zheng's strangeness and said, "I wonder how many noble families will come to Wulong Town to announce the results this year?"
Although according to the rules, four lists a year must be placed in every family and every town-level administrative area in Xingyao Continent, but in places like Wulong Town, many families do not strictly abide by it.
The summer solstice is approaching.
However, there were only a dozen or so noble families on the Xiabang list who were sent to Wulong Town.
According to Ban Yiluo, some aristocratic families that are far away from Wulong Town have not sent anyone to announce the list for decades.
"That's normal. I'm afraid no one in Wulong Town would go to such a distant academy." Tang Zheng said with a smile while playing with an identity plate in his hand.
"You'd better keep it carefully. I spent a lot of effort to get this identity plate in your hand." Ban Yiluo said unhappily while looking at the plate in his hand.
It seemed like it was just yesterday when Tang Zheng came to the "first and a half floor" of Jubao Pavilion to find him to solve the problem of the identity badge.
Unexpectedly, it was time to say goodbye in the blink of an eye.
"Are you also planning to take the entrance exam for Yisuli Academy?" Ban Yiluo asked Tang Zheng.
"I haven't decided yet." Tang Zheng stretched out two fingers and took out a letter. "Miss Luoluo asked me to come over and talk to her."
"That's right..." Ban Yilou smiled, "Ouyang Luoluo still wants you to go to the academy to teach basic casting. But what about you? If you are an instructor, you can't go to the Star-Seeking Tower..."
"That's why I'm considering it." It has been several days since Tang Zheng received the invitation from Jade City.
Ouyang Luoluo certainly hoped that he could accept the offer from Yisuli Academy as an instructor.
However, it was always a regret that Tang Zheng had never gone to college in his previous life.
He still wanted to go to college, even if it was just to sit in the classroom and listen to lectures and look at the girls in school uniforms, it was also a wish of his.
"Is the Star-Seeking Tower important?" Tang Zheng had heard Jiang Wuyan, Tang Boyuan, and Tang Xiaotang and the others talk about it, but he never had the chance to ask.
"For a two-star warrior, it's too important." Ban Yilou answered him seriously, " So , you must consider it carefully."
“What’s the point?”
“Asking the stars is asking your heart. How should you proceed in the future on the path of star power? What is the most suitable path for you? What are your strengths and weaknesses? You can get the answers in the Star Questioning Tower.”
"Uh, so mysterious?" Tang Zhengdao said.
"I've never climbed up there myself, so of course I can only talk about it in a mysterious way and pretend that I climb it often." Ban Yiluo replied with a shrug.
"..." Tang Zheng was speechless, "This works too!"
"In short, in order for you to successfully break through to the three stars, and also for you to have a clearer path in the future, so that you won't be in the dark like those of us who have never climbed the Star-Seeking Tower... I suggest that you consider entering the Yisu Academy as a student."
Tang Zheng nodded.
Ban Yilou and he have known each other for a few months, and although he is not serious most of the time, Tang Zheng knows when he is serious.
Ban Yiluo felt that this was something that needed serious consideration, so he certainly wouldn't take it lightly!
"Thank you, Mr. Ban." Tang Zheng stood up as he saw that the sun had already passed noon. "I will give it serious consideration and then give Miss Luo Luo a reply."
"Remember to come back to see me during spring break." Ban Yilou took out the casting notebook from under the counter. "If you run into any trouble in Feishi City, go find Old Lu. Although you are a disciple of Lu Huang, Lu Yilou can also be considered one of your mentors..."
"Lu Yilou? Your names are really interesting." Tang Zheng immediately understood, "I'm afraid he is not only my mentor, but also the one who forged the sword and dagger I used at the beginning."
As he spoke, Tang Zheng took out his sword and dagger and waved it in front of Ban Yiluo - of course, it was a modified version of Luo Fei's Yuexing dagger.
Ban Yilou didn't help Lu Yilou sell this sword and dagger for many years, but he didn't expect that Tang Zheng was still planning to use it.
"Is the name interesting?" Ban Yilou shook his head with a wry smile. "We are three beggars, living in Wulong Town, without even a place to live... We can only rely on the tall buildings of Jubao Pavilion or Bailianfang to barely shelter from the wind and rain. For more than ten years... we have been able to get by like this."
Tang Zheng put away the two casting notebooks and his identity badge and asked, "You only remember your last name... and you don't remember your name at all?"
"Yes! But when we were beggars, we didn't need names at all. Later, when the three of us beggars gradually had a little capital to settle down in Wulong Town and needed a name... we just called ourselves Yilou."
Originally, Tang Zheng thought their names were beautiful, and even girls could use them, but he didn't expect that behind these names, there was such a miserable past.
Tang Zheng smiled and nodded, "Okay, I'll treat him to a drink when I get to Feishi City. It just so happens that I have something to ask him!"
Ban Yiluo waved his hand as a farewell to Tang Zheng.
Tang was about to ask Lu Yilu about the sword [Unsheathed], whose material had changed drastically after it fell into the cold pond.
Because Lu Huang left in such a hurry, he did not have time to ask clearly, and after Luo Fei looked at it, he could not explain it either. He told Tang Zheng that he could only ask an old blacksmith who was familiar with the local customs to take a look.
Tang Zheng took the [No Sheath] to find the best blacksmith in Wulong Town, Old Man Chen, but all he got was admiration for the excellence of the [No Sheath], and nothing of value.
It seems that if I want to know why the color of the sheath has changed and why the material has changed, I can only ask Lu Yilou who is familiar with Wulong Town!
…
Just two days after the summer solstice, the Tianqin family’s summer list was posted in Wulong Town.
The Tianqin family’s capital academy, Qinling Academy, won the first place in this year’s summer list!
Among the three hundred academies of the eighty-one families, the number of graduates from Qinling Academy this year is 214, the highest in the entire Xingyao Continent.
Following closely behind is the Xiyang Academy from the Tianqin family, with 190 people, and third is the Qingwen Academy from the Wenhua family, with 175 people.
The fourth to tenth places are respectively the Alsophila Academy of the Huajian family, the Shengtang , the Dongyang Academy of the Tianqin family, the Jingyun Academy of the Liuyun family, the Cuiti Academy of the Qianye family, the Longding Academy of the Donglong family, and... the Jixia Academy of the Huaishui Bai family.
Among the top ten academies, nine are from top families!
"Since there are so many places in the academies of these top families, why do we have to squeeze into the academies with limited places?" Tang Zheng looked at the places in the four academies of the Tianqin family, which added up to more than 700.
"The academy of the top families... although there are many places available, there are even more people who want to get in..." Tang Xiaotang spread out his hands and said helplessly.
Finally, about three or four days after the summer solstice, the summer list of the Changyuan Leng family finally arrived in Wulong Town.
The Qinling Academy of the Tianqin family graduated 214 three-star warriors this year, while the four academies of the Changyuan Leng family combined only graduated 94!
And the number of graduates from Yisuli Academy is... the "four" in ninety-four, a fraction.
"Huh, there are only four places in Yisuli Academy this year?" Tang Xiaotang felt a little nervous again.
There are too few places...
As a two-star beginner warrior, she didn’t know if she could pass the final assessment.
The other children of Tangjiabao were also very nervous when they saw so few places.
There are more than four two-star warriors from Tangjiabao who are going to Feishi City!
…
It would take about four or five days to travel from Feishi City to Wulong Town by horse-drawn carriage along the official road, but it would take much less time if riding a horse.
If it was just Tang Zheng and Xu Qingyan, they could set out on their Snow Region Warhorses in the morning and arrive that evening.
However, they have to bring a lot of luggage to Jade City, and Zheng Qian and the others will all accompany them as guards, so it is naturally impossible to travel light.
A total of two carriages set out from Tangjiabao.
In the carriage were Tang Xiaotang, Tang Zixie, Tang Xuan and Xiao Lingdang.
The two people riding horses outside the carriage were Tang Zheng and Meng Fenghua, and following behind them on horseback were Zheng Qian and his twenty brothers.
They were waiting for Xu Qingyan on the West Street of Wulong Town, and passers-by quickly made way for them.
Soon, a melodious piece of music sounded from the top floor of Yimeng Pavilion. The gentle voice of Miss Tianxiang made the noise of the entire Yimeng Pavilion stop for her. As her singing progressed, Xu Qingyan walked down from the upstairs holding a sword.
He led his Snowland warhorse, looked back at Yimeng Pavilion, and immediately jumped on the horse: "Let's go!"
Tang Zheng looked up and said with a smile: "Not taking her?"
Xu Qingyan shook his head and followed the Tangjiabao convoy without saying a word...
Ta-da-da, ta-da-da.
The horse's hooves stepped on the bluestone road, taking them out of Wulong Town and heading towards Feishi City.
