Chapter 24: The Black Sheep
Editor: Sparrow Translations
Ling Yun remained oblivious to Mr. Wu while he raged ferociously like a mad bull in a bullfight. He was pondering deeply over something special, something pertaining to both his family and his life. Are there any cultivators in this world?
Ling Yun had a better understanding of cultivation than anyone else. He was very confident that the "Dao De Jing" written by Lao Zi was the scripture of true cultivation.
Ling Yun scoffed at those rookie explanations about how the world comprehended philosophies in history textbooks. The twisted content failed to bring about justice for "Dao De Jing".
But then again, the amount of spiritual energy present here is so scarce. How does one even cultivate oneself in this sh*t *ss world?
Dissatisfied, Ling Yun suddenly recalled the Shichiyou Herb he had discovered the night before. He also had recollections of his Yang Heel Meridian being maimed right after his birth into this world. Crisis! Ling Yun became conscious of the perilous situation he was in. The urgent desire to practice and enhance his own abilities had never been so strong.
In the Cultivation World, the mortals from different countries had no idea about the existence of the cultivators. As such, we cannot deny their presence. They just may not have been discovered yet. For now, I'll need to stay lowkey till I have gained adequate abilities to protect myself.
Ling Yun was determined to get his hands on the remaining scriptures, but the history textbooks only consisted of a few lines from Lao Zi's "Dao De Jing". As a result, he was crestfallen.
Everyone's eyes turned to the last man standing, who was still deep in thought. His facial expression changed with his emotions; from bemused to ecstasy, then from perturbed to adamant.
Mr. Wu saw that Ling Yun was still oblivious to his surroundings and he became enraged. It was as if the volcano inside him was going to erupt. He felt that Ling Yun was disrespecting him.
In this school, almost every history teacher carried this stern and solemn semblance. It was probably due to their perception of history as something in the past that could no longer be modified. Mr. Wu was the best representative of this stereotype.
He detested Ling Yun to the core for his flippant attitude, as well as his nescience towards school and classroom disciplines. In addition to that, Ling Yun always started work at the eleventh hour and left the majority of his history examination papers undone, achieving only that few pathetic marks.
Up till now, Ling Yun was still standing up and Mr. Wu's emotional volcano was on the brink of eruption. "Ling Yun, if you think that just because I'm not your form teacher, there's nothing I can do to you, then you are utterly wrong! The year-end examinations are coming up and I will not allow any black sheep in my class to hinder others' progress! Get out now! Immediately!" Mr. Wu's tongue-lashing reproof drew Ling Yun out of his captivation.
He looked up, furrowed his eyebrows and returned a demeaning look at Mr. Wu, "Me? A black sheep? Since when did I become one?"
The other students burst into laughter upon hearing that question by Ling Yun.
"Is playing truant not against the school rules? You have been doing that so often! It will affect your classmates' learning!" Mr. Wu exclaimed in an offended tone.
"Do you even respect me as your teacher? Look at yourself today! When all your classmates stood up to greet me, you were still sitting down. But when they took their seats, you chose to stand up instead. How do you expect your classmates to learn efficiently with you disrupting my lessons like this?" Mr. Wu saw red as he stared unforgivingly at him. He had no intention of hiding his disgust and ignorance for Ling Yun.
At the side, Cao Shanshan was secretly overjoyed that Ling Yun was finally receiving his karma for his misdeed to her that noon. However, her heart stung a little subconsciously as she was concerned that Ling Yun would be chased out by Mr. Wu.
Zhang Ling, on the other hand, cast her eyes on Ling Yun with anticipation. She was expecting someone as gutsy as Ling Yun, who had disgraced the Little Gambling God and displeased Cao Shanshan, to come up with a splendid reply.
Wei Tiangan, the leader of Hostel 305, only dared to look at Ling Yun from the corner of his eyes after all that happened the night before. Didn't you try to be arrogant? Why did you stop? So what if you can fight when your academics results can't get you anywhere? Wei Tiangan was tickled by his own thoughts.
As for Chai Hanlin, he was on pins and needles. He was delighted that Ling Yun came to class voluntarily. At the same time, he knew intuitively that Ling Yun actually had no intention of disrupting the class.
These judgemental perceptions did not get the better of Ling Yun. He patiently waited for the legendary Mr. Wu to finish ranting. "Mr. Wu, I'm not going to deny the fact that I often played truancy. The thing is, if I'm not present in school, how would I even affect my classmates' studies?" he retorted with a smirk on his face.
"And for what happened just now, I'm really sorry. I was focused on memorizing the textbook and got distracted from what was going on in class".
As predicted, his face did not show any sense of remorse during his apology.
The class cracked up as they could not believe their ears. Ling Yun was memorizing his textbook? That can't be! That will only happen when pigs fly!
Even Mr. Wu, who was fuming just moments ago, could not contain his laughter and let out a chuckle.
The class was giggling profusely and Mr. Wu was not an exception. He raised his hands to signal to the students to cool down and stop laughing. The waterfall of guffaw came to an end before Mr. Wu sneered at Ling Yun, "Do you know why your classmates burst out in laughter?"
"Nope," Ling Yun replied, despite knowing the obvious.
"Ling Yun, you said you were memorizing the textbook, right?" Mr. Wu asked. He thought he had something on Ling Yun. He was waiting for the chance to humiliate Ling Yun so that he would not dare to disrupt his lessons again.
"Yes, Mr. Wu".
"Which paragraph did you memorize? What were the main points?" Mr. Wu probed further as he perceived that Ling Yun was just trying to get away with his earlier mistake.
"Sorry, sir. I don't know which are the main points and which are not, but I memorized everything I read," Ling Yu gave an honest reply.
This was followed by another wave of laughter from the students as they started to support Ling Yun's seemingly intentional joke.
Zhang Ling did her best to repress her laughter. She glared at Ling Yun. She was wondering whether he knew that Mr. Wu was playing a trick on him.
Cao Shanshan was worried sick for Ling Yun. She did not understand the reason for this chap's silly actions. It was not difficult to discern that this was a trap set up by Mr. Wu for him to jump into.
She hoped to see Ling Yun get taught a lesson, but subconsciously, she did not want his humiliation to happen in public. No one else but her could bully Ling Yun. Cao Shanshan herself did not know when she started to have such care and concern for him.
Mr. Wu could not believe how foolish he was to fall into his trap. He giggled uncontrollably, "You memorized everything you read? How much have you read then?" He questioned the 'black sheep' calmly as he was afraid that he would accidentally reveal the trick he had in mind. His plan would succeed once Ling Yun admitted he only memorized one short sentence in the book.
"I started reading from topic one of chapter one for about a good ten minutes or so. I read very slowly, before reaching the paragraphs about the philosophers from Qin Dynasty." Ling Yun was not lying. If he used divine sense to memorize the content, it would be done in less than a minute.
"Ohhh… Not bad, not bad! So how much did you actually remember?"
"I have obviously remembered everything that I have memorized, or else why would I have read it?" Ling Yun uttered with disbelief at his teacher's redundant question.
The way Ling Yun looked at Mr. Wu made him feel uneasy. Did he find out about my plan? I doubt he is intelligent enough to do so.
Meanwhile, Cao Shanshan became more uptight after she cast her sight on Ling Yun, only to see him frown. Stupid fool, it's already too late to find out about Mr. Wu's trap.
Silence filled the classroom as the students waited eagerly for either Ling Yun's reply or the moment he would fall agonizingly into Mr. Wu's trap of humiliation.
Zhang Dong raised his head up and stared at Mr. Wu before frantically nudging Ling Yun's thigh with his right arm. His motive was clear. He was trying to convey the message to Ling Yun that he should admit it if he had not actually memorized it. There was really no point in allowing Mr. Wu to make a fool out of him. There would be no way of turning back after this.
"Everything, sir. I remember everything," Ling Yun was deep in thought before answering.
Mr. Wu was relieved that Ling Yun did not spoil his plan. However, he was taken aback by Ling Yun's rather confident response. He was so appalled that his eyeballs would have rolled out if not for his gold-colored spectacles preventing them.
How? How is it possible to memorize everything? Everyone was flabbergasted. They had predicted all other possible replies but not this. Ling Yun must be crazy! Never have I seen someone blow someone else's horn so outrageously before!
The students gloated at Ling Yun, sparing him their different views on him. Some found him ridiculous, while others found him arrogant and disgusting.
Cao Shanshan was enraged! From today onwards, I will have nothing to do with you anymore, idiot! She could not bring herself to believe how foolish Ling Yun was.
On the contrary, Zhang Ling glimpsed at Ling Yun with relish despite not knowing the reasons for his answers. However, from her observance of him today, she was confident that he must have had something up his sleeves to come up with such daring responses for Mr. Wu.
She might not have believed that Ling Yun memorized everything he read, but she still waited in anticipation for how the retaliation was going to unfold.
Chapter 25: Incredible Memory
Editor: Sparrow Translations
After getting stumped by Ling Yun's replies from the beginning, Mr. Wu finally calmed himself down and discreetly anticipated the show Ling Yun was going to put on.
"So, today, we will revise chapter one. Since Ling Yun has remarkably memorized the textbook, maybe we should give him an opportunity to read out what he has memorized. Everyone will have a better idea of the content as well," Mr. Wu was exhilarated as he prepared Ling Yun for his doom.
Excluding Ling Yun, Cao Shanshan, Chai Hanlin and Zhang Dong, the rest of the class agreed without hesitation. Wei Tiangan was no exception. He was extremely supportive of Mr. Wu's idea. He started to clap, causing everyone else to clap vigorously.
Chao Shanshan turned around to face Ling Yun. Are you dumb? Memorise every single thing? I actually want to see how you do it! While his classmates applauded for him to start, Ling Yun blushed a little as all he wanted was to stay as lowkey as possible.
"Hey Ling Yun, don't be shy! Didn't you already memorize everything? Just be confident and read it out to us! We will give you our fullest attention!" Mr. Wu announced as though he knew Ling Yun was about to fail. He was ready to chase Ling Yun out of the class after embarrassing him.
"I'm just afraid there isn't enough time for me to finish reading everything…" Ling Yun replied as he scratched the back of his head. Undeniably, it would require a significant amount of time to read out twenty or more pages without missing out on anything. From how the historical homo sapiens developed their survival skills to different schools of thoughts contending for attention during the Qin Dynasty, it would take at least two hours.
A number of the students thought that Ling Yun was a joker who only started looking for excuses now when he could have saved his own face previously.
Cao Shanshan clenched her fists forcefully as if she was going to punch the hell out of Ling Yun for his silly acts. She was rather agitated. It's obvious that Mr. Wu doesn't mind wasting lesson time today just to watch you make a fool out of yourself! He has two long periods to play with you.
Wei Tiangan's face was as black as the devil. He glared cunningly at Ling Yun as he could not wait for karma to befall his hostel-mate for disgracing him in public the night before. Something no one could deny was the fact that he hated Ling Yun to the core.
"You do not have to worry a single bit. You just need to read out to all of us what you have learned. In fact, we would actually have to thank you for helping instead!" Mr. Wu uttered briefly with a tinge of mockery.
Ling Yun proceeded to ponder for a few minutes before realizing that this might be a good chance for him to improve his relationship with his classmates. "Alright then," he assured. Just as he was about to start speaking, Mr. Wu cut him off sheepishly and commented, "Ling Yun, if you stay in your seat, your classmates would have to turn around. Might you want to come to the front of the class instead? They would be able to hear it more clearly as well."
"There's a chair available here for you and if your throat gets too dry after speaking, I have some beverages for you here as well." It might seem that Mr. Wu was a kind and caring teacher, but truth be told, he was preventing other students from helping Ling Yun so that he would be at the losing end. He already had everything planned out. Once Ling Yun failed to say anything, he would instigate his students to treat Ling Yun as a laughing stock till he got too ashamed and ran out of class. Mr. Wu would then make use of his departure as a reason for disrupting his lesson. Ling Yun's reputation would then be tarnished once and for all.
Ling Yun considered Mr. Wu's advice and found it to be workable. He gently pushed Zhang Dong away and steadily made his way to the front of the room."
How does he stay so calm before his doom? Zhang Dong was mulling as he gazed at Ling Yun's back view with pity and a small fraction of respect.
Mr. Wu could not believe his eyes as he agonizingly witnessed Ling Yun pick up his cup and take a drink. He told himself he would never touch that cup again.
It did not take long before Ling Yun sat comfortably on the chair.
Mr. Wu took the initiative to move beside the classroom door. He was waiting patiently for Ling Yun to start his reading, his own 'show'. He already had everything worked out as long as nothing proper came out of Ling Yun's mouth.
However, as a teacher, Mr. Wu would still have to abide by the teaching guidelines and get the class to follow his instructions. "Class, Ling Yun will be reading out what he memorized earlier. Everyone, take out your textbook and turn to chapter one now."
He said all these just for the sake of it. No one bothered to take out their textbooks as they had no confidence in Ling Yun reading everything out. Cao Shanshan was in a state of panic and anxiety. It was if there were butterflies flying in her stomach. "Zhang Ling… Zhang Ling, what should we do now?" She tugged on her shirt anxiously.
Zhang Ling was happily engrossed in what was happening at the front of the class. It was as if she was watching the last episode of a blockbuster drama series, not until Cao Shanshan disturbed her. "What do you mean by 'what should we do now'?"
"What else? Ling Yun will become the joke of the town in a few minutes time. Are we not going to help him out?" Shanshan looked doubtingly into the eyes of Zhang Ling.
"Help him out? Are you serious? Weren't you furious at him for what he said to you?" Zhang Ling replied while a slight smirk appeared on her face.
Cao Shanshan blushed. She then retaliated, "No matter what, as the class monitress, it is my duty to speak up for Ling Yun before he gets 'punished' for delaying the class by one or two minutes!" Shanshan backed herself up as she found an excuse to be concerned about Ling Yun.
"If you really want to help him, feel free to do so. I won't be able to help you with that. I'd rather spend my time listening to Ling Yun," Zhang Ling could not be bothered. She then turned back to face him.
"Listen to Ling Yun? You must be mad! Pigs will fly before he can read anything properly from the textbook!" Cao Shanshan was stunned by Zhang Ling's words.
"I think you should relax. Everything will be fine. Remember the way Ling Yun has been acting today? I doubt this matter would go Mr. Wu's way."
"Do you have that much confidence in him?" Shanshan asked. She was starting to have difficulties understanding Zhang Ling. "Yup! I might not know what his next move is, but I am pretty sure he knows what he is doing!"
Cao Shanshan was intrigued, but at the same time, she had a sense of discomfort at Zhang Ling's dauntless eyes and tone. "Zhang Ling, have you fallen for Ling Yun?" Cao Shanshan brought this topic up out of nowhere.
"What? Please! The pot calling the kettle black!" Zhang Ling gave her bestie a displeasing knock.
"You! Okay, forget it. It's my bad. But I don't understand. What makes you so confident about Ling Yun?" Cao Shanshan gave up squandering with Zhang Ling.
"Intuition, my dear! Women's intuition!" Zhang Ling's rubbish remarks were received with a death stare from Cao Shanshan. She was done talking to her buddy.
Suddenly, she felt someone fixing his sight on her, like an eagle aiming for its prey.
"What's wrong with me?" Shanshan hid her face away from Ling Yun subconsciously. She began to feel puzzled over her attitude towards him. She had had no reason to flare up at him in the canteen. Furthermore, there was no sense for her to worry about Ling Yun.
Ling Yun scanned the classroom, before fidgeting to find a comfortable posture. He produced a vibrant smile at Mr. Wu, "So, should I start now?" Ling Yun asked eagerly, like a five-year-old child waiting for his turn on the carousel.
Mr. Wu replied unhesitantly with a nod. He thought to himself that Ling Yun should make a fool out of himself as soon as possible so that he would be able to carry on lessons in his absence.
"Ahem! Chapter One…" Ling Yun cleared his throat, then proceeded to retrieve the content from his brain and projected them with his voice in a chronological order.
Initially, no one paid any attention to him. They did not want to waste their precious time on this clown.
However, things quickly changed when Ling Yun incredibly managed to read out the content word for word, as if he was the one who wrote the textbook.
After the first minute, there were no more discussions and banter. By the second minute, the only thing that could be heard was the rummaging of books and the flipping of pages, as well as Ling Yun's crisp and lively voice. After five minutes, almost a thousand words had flowed out from Ling Yun's mouth and into the ears of his classmates. There were no more disruptions as he continued to read at his own tempo.
What was magnificent and unbelievable was that he did not miss out any single word at all. If one did not see it for themselves, they would definitely think that he was directly reading from the textbook.
Both Zhang Dong and Chai Hanlin were stunned. On Wei Tiangan's wicked face, his jeering smile froze as he sat there in disbelief, looking like a statue. Zhang Ling's face changed too.
Chao Shanshan had unknowingly looked up at the composed Ling Yun, with her alluring eyes and mouth wide open. The word 'unbelievable' was written all over her face.
As for their history teacher, who had been waiting silently for Ling Yun to disgrace himself, his expression switched drastically. His mouth opened so wide even an ostrich egg could fit into it. It was as if he was a master of the art of face-changing in Chinese Opera. His initial face of mockery turned into doubt, before showing a flabbergasted look. Eventually, all that was left in the eyes behind that pair of gold-colored spectacles were excitement and jubilance derived from Ling Yun's magnificent display.
Sitting still on the chair, Ling Yun continued reading out what he had memorized. His fluency and tone of speech were perfectly grasped as everybody's ears twitched towards his direction. After finishing the first chapter, he went on the second.
Mr. Wu was thrilled. He could not believe what was happening before his eyes. The classroom was dead silent. Only Ling Yun's delicate voice could be heard. Mr. Wu gingerly made his way beside Chai Hanlin, not wanting to disrupt Ling Yun's momentum.
As he flipped Hanlin's textbook to the second chapter, he was amazed. How could he have memorized everything word for word? He doesn't even have to stop and think before continuing. His memory is incredible! It's out-of-this-world! I've discovered a genius!
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