Fang Jie and Dean Zhou talked for a long time in the room, while the students who had finished their tests had already left the training ground. Professor Qiu Yu, the woman with the disdainful eyes, stood waiting at the door. She didn't enter, and although she wasn't close to Dean Zhou's room, when Dean Zhou asked Fang Jie in a low voice how Qiu Yu had fared, this professor, who wasn't particularly beautiful but possessed a unique charm, was first taken aback, then clenched her fists, a hint of murderous intent flashing across her lips.
A slight blush appeared on the professor's face, revealing a rare, childlike cuteness.
Of course, this murderous intent wasn't genuine.
Dean Zhou, seemingly sensing the anger of someone outside, immediately changed the subject. After his conversation with Fang Jie made substantial progress, he stood up and walked out. "Let's go," he said. "Now that you've agreed, it's time for me to show my sincerity. I will arrange a private professor to guide you—something never before done at the Martial Arts Academy."
Fang Jie followed behind Dean Zhou and said softly, "I won't say thank you."
"Suit yourself."
Dean Zhou seemed unconcerned by Fang Jie's attitude. He opened the door and pointed to Qiu Yu waiting outside, saying, "From today onwards, she will be your private tutor. Besides your regular studies at the Martial Arts Academy, you can also seek her guidance in your spare time. The reason it's Professor Qiu Yu is because she has an advantage over others."
"I know," Fang Jie said, pointing to his eyes.
Dean Zhou smiled and said, "Not just her eyes, her hearing is also the best among everyone in the Martial Arts Academy."
"Ah?"
Fang Jie was taken aback, then leaned closer to Dean Zhou and asked in a very low voice, "So when you were pimping for me in the room before, couldn't you have kept it from Professor Qiu's ears?"
"Uh... I completely forgot... You guys talk first, I have some very important things to deal with."
Dean Zhou turned and left after saying this, without any hesitation. Fang Jie found himself starting to like Dean Zhou's personality; he didn't have any of the gloom and hypocrisy often found in officials. In Fang Jie's opinion, even a young, inexperienced official would pretend to be very mature. Dean Zhou, despite his age, was still like a child.
Undoubtedly, Fang Jie preferred the latter.
"Um... Dean Zhou said your hearing is excellent."
Fang Jie greeted Qiu Yu with an awkward smile.
The moon-white professor's robe was a little too big on Qiu Yu, and Fang Jie could see from her walk that she had a very good figure. Only when she moved did her alluring figure, concealed by the wide robe, become slightly visible. After arriving in the capital, Fang Jie discovered that many people's approximate age was difficult to guess, such as Zhuo Buyi, Dean Zhou, and the angry-looking female professor Qiu Yu before him.
He wanted to curry favor with Qiu Yu even more than he did with Dean Zhou, because Fang Jie knew the saying, "A local official is more powerful than a distant one."
"If I hear you and Dean Zhou having another conversation like that, what do you think will happen?"
Qiu Yu asked seriously.
"I'll become so unrecognizable that even my own mother wouldn't recognize me."
Fang Jie answered just as seriously.
Qiu Yu nodded in satisfaction, turned, and walked away with her hands behind her back. How could she know the despicable thoughts in Fang Jie's heart? Fang Jie still didn't know who his parents were; even if he hadn't been beaten and stood handsomely opposite his mother, she certainly wouldn't recognize him.
"Sir, what shall we do first?"
"There are no classes today."
"Wouldn't that be a waste of precious time?"
"You can go to sleep."
"I think we should still increase our communication. After all, you don't know me very well, and I don't know you very well either."
"You don't know me, but I know you."
Qiu Yu stopped and looked at Fang Jie, saying, "However, since you feel it's necessary for me to better understand you, I don't mind getting to know you more comprehensively."
Upon hearing "more comprehensively," Fang Jie smiled lewdly.
Half an hour later, Fang Jie wanted to cry.
...
...
Fang Jie hadn't expected that the not-so-majestic mountain at the back of the Martial Arts Academy was the same mountain as the one in Changchun Garden, and of course, the same mountain as the one in the Imperial Garden of the Palace. When he climbed the path up that low mountain, Fang Jie finally understood why His Majesty the Emperor was so adamant about not allowing the Martial Arts Academy to move out of Chang'an.
If a road were built on this mountain, then in the unlikely event that someone were to rebel and besiege Changchun Garden or Taiji Palace, the people from the Martial Arts Academy could directly rush to their aid from this mountain. Fang Jie was certain that such a road existed on the mountain. This demonstrated that His Majesty's trust in Dean Zhou and the professors of the Martial Arts Academy far exceeded his trust in other court officials.
What Fang Jie didn't know was that very few students were qualified to enter the back mountain. And he wasn't wrong; there was indeed such a secret path leading directly to Changchun Garden and Taiji Palace.
"Didn't you want me to understand you?"
Qiu Yu smiled and pointed to the low hill in front of them, saying, "Run to the top of the hill as fast as you can and then run back, repeating this until you can't climb any further."
"May I ask why?"
Fang Jie asked, his expression conflicted. "I need to test your physical strength and endurance to better understand you. Go ahead, or you can leave now if you don't want to, and I won't make any more demands on you later."
Fang Jie found this woman far more threatening than Dean Zhou, so he could only smile wryly, tuck the hem of his robe into his belt, take a deep breath, and dash up the mountain. Since it was a test of his endurance, Fang Jie didn't run at his maximum speed from the start. Even so, his excellent physical condition still pleased Qiu Yu quite a bit. Although the mountain wasn't high, climbing a mountain was a completely different experience from walking on flat ground. After running back and forth twice, Fang Jie's clothes were soaked through.
Qiu Yu stood beside a mountain peach tree, smiling as she watched the boy's increasingly disheveled appearance. From her smile, Fang Jie was certain she was very pleased with herself.
An hour later, Fang Jie, panting, walked up to Qiu Yu and asked, "Is it okay now?"
Qiu Yu shook his head. "No, I said until you couldn't climb anymore. You can still walk now; you're far from not being able to climb anymore."
Fang Jie sighed helplessly and turned to continue climbing.
Another half hour later, the sun was already setting. Having not eaten lunch, Fang Jie was almost completely exhausted. Although he hadn't reached the point of crawling, his legs felt as heavy as lead. Running up and down the mountain for three hours straight would have left an ordinary person collapsed on the ground.
"Alright."
As Fang Jie descended the mountain and passed Qiu Yu again, the seemingly gentle female professor said softly, "You're all sweaty, would you like to take a shower first?"
"Of course...that would be best...if you could let me eat something before showering, I would be extremely grateful."
"Eating isn't urgent. It's past lunchtime. If you want to eat, you'll have to wait until dinner. The Martial Arts Academy has its rules; meals are served at specific times."
"Then I'll go take a shower first."
"Follow me."
Qiu Yu led the way, and Fang Jie followed behind, rubbing his aching thighs. Turning a corner around a grove of trees, Fang Jie heard the sound of rushing water. To Fang Jie's surprise, there was a waterfall on this low hill. And compared to the size of the hill, the waterfall was enormous.
Below the waterfall was a deep pool. The water cascading down, splashing into the pool, created dazzling colors under the sunlight. Even before reaching the water's edge, a refreshing mist wafted towards them. In this sweltering summer, this pool was an ideal place to escape the heat.
Fang Jie stretched by the pool, looking at the clear water and unable to resist bending down to cup his hands and drink a couple of mouthfuls. Perhaps because he was so thirsty, the water even tasted slightly sweet.
"Would you like to leave for a moment?"
Fang Jie asked somewhat embarrassedly.
"No need."
Qiu Yu pointed to the magnificent waterfall and said, word by word, "Go stand down there."
"Huh?!"
Fang Jie swallowed hard and muttered, "I thought you wanted me to take a bath, but it turns out you want me to take a shower..."
...
...
Although the mountain wasn't high, it couldn't be too short for a mountain. Besides, with such a magnificent waterfall, the mountain couldn't be just a house high. As Fang Jie tentatively approached the waterfall from the large rock in the water, he couldn't help but turn back and cast a pleading look at Qiu Yu.
Qiu Yu didn't even glance at him, but instead squatted down and washed his face with water.
Exhausted, Fang Jie's initial good mood upon seeing the waterfall and deep pool had vanished completely. He steeled himself and cautiously approached the waterfall. Even the slightest contact caused a sharp pain as the cascading water hit him. Fang Jie wasn't sure if rushing in would result in his head being smashed open by the powerful impact and him dying a miserable death.
But at this moment, Fang Jie's indomitable spirit was ignited. He didn't look back at Qiu Yu, but took a deep breath and gritted his teeth as he plunged into the waterfall.
As soon as he entered, Fang Jie immediately felt as if countless people were relentlessly and forcefully striking his head with wooden sticks. The pressure was immense. It felt as if the bones in his neck and spine were about to shatter. Standing under the water, Fang Jie could barely take another step forward.
The powerful current was like a master of internal energy relentlessly attacking, maintaining a consistent pressure from front to back. Fang Jie nearly collapsed the moment he made contact with the waterfall; his legs trembled uncontrollably. The torrents crashed against his head and back, the pain quickly turning into numbness. Fang Jie even wondered if the torrents would tear his flesh apart if he persisted any longer.
But retreating now would surely invite ridicule from the female professor.
As a man who had become a real man, Fang Jie was unwilling to admit his inadequacy to a woman.
He persevered, gritting his teeth and persisting.
Just then, amidst the deafening roar of the waterfall, Qiu Yu's voice clearly reached Fang Jie's ears.
"When you can walk back and forth beneath this waterfall as if strolling in a garden, you'll have truly passed this test. If I told you that during the reign of Emperor Taizong, General Li Xiao could even stroll and recite poetry beneath this waterfall, would you feel like a failure?"
"I wouldn't feel...a failure!"
The current made it difficult for Fang Jie to speak; water kept rushing into his mouth as soon as he opened it. And speaking brought with it a strong feeling of suffocation. Breathing through his nose had become difficult; searching for oxygen in the water was indeed something only fish could do easily.
"But...but I think...reciting poetry under this waterfall...is absolutely a very cool thing to do!"
After shouting this, Fang Jie didn't know how many mouthfuls of water he had swallowed. But the boy's eyes grew brighter and brighter, and his fear of the waterfall seemed to be diminishing.
Qiu Yu squinted at the boy, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.
Just then, the boy, quite oblivious to the danger, slowly raised his head, and then, under the rushing water of the waterfall, slowly opened his arms as if to embrace it.
"The sun shines on the incense burner, creating purple smoke; from afar, the waterfall hangs like a curtain before the river; it plunges straight down, damn it, three thousand feet! It seems like the Milky Way falling from the ninth heaven!"
The boy's howling, like a wolf's cry, echoed intermittently from the waterfall, weak and disordered, but full of indomitable spirit.
"It's just reciting poetry... I can recite a beautiful poem myself!"
Qiu Yu looked at the young man with bright eyes, the slight upturn of her lips becoming increasingly beautiful. The young man's disheveled yet resilient figure was so clear in her eyes, and hearing his roaring verses that seemed to pierce through a waterfall, she couldn't help but murmur, "Remove the three 'fucking' words, and it's actually a good poem."