Chapter 77 – The Crown Prince Personally Teaches Writing

The small wood was quiet, occasionally filled with the chirping of birds.

Jian Mei felt a bit conflicted inside. After holding it in for a while and just as he was about to speak, a bell suddenly chimed from the dormitory not far away, its distant echo sounding like a reminder.

Lu Xingwang glanced over and said, “It’s curfew; they’re closing the gates.”

Jian Mei was taken aback, “Does that mean I won’t be able to get in?”

The entrance was at least two hundred meters away, and he wasn’t sure if he could make it in time.

Seeing Jian Mei’s worried expression, Lu Xingwang found his slight panic cute, reminiscent of many times when the child was frantic on the phone seeking help, except back then, they were far apart, while now, they were within reach.

Lu Xingwang extended his hand, “Come.”

Though Jian Mei didn’t understand, he obediently reached out.

Lu Xingwang pulled him close and softly instructed, “Close your eyes.”

Jian Mei complied and shut his eyes.He felt a rush of wind whistling past his ears, as if he was floating.Then, Lu Xingwang’s deep voice sounded near his ear, “Done.”

Jian Mei opened his eyes again, and they were already at the dormitory.

It seemed like only half a minute had passed!

Surprised, Jian Mei looked at Lu Xingwang, “Wow, that’s amazing!”

Lu Xingwang wasn’t particularly proud; he just replied honestly, “It’s just a basic spell. Any divine official with wind divine powers can do it.”

Jian Mei glanced at him. The spring night felt slightly chilly, and they were close enough to almost hear each other’s shallow breaths. After hearing Lu Xingwang’s words, Jian Mei didn’t acknowledge it. He raised his head to look at the crown prince and smiled gently, “But they wouldn’t have brought me back to the dormitory.”

There might be many divine officals in the world.

But none of them are you.

Of course, they were skilled, but they wouldn’t use their divine powers to make sure he didn’t miss curfew.

“Thank you.” Jian Mei took a few steps toward the dormitory building ahead, then turned back to look at Lu Xingwang, softly asking, “Um, I mean, will we have a chance to meet again?”

The dim light of the street lamp shone under the dormitory, carrying a faint scent of spring flowers and grass in the air.

Lu Xingwang stood at the doorway, lifting his eyelids to glance intentionally or unintentionally upstairs. Without much hesitation, he stepped forward, standing in front of Jian Mei. His voice was deep and powerful, “Yes.”

“I assure you.”

He said.

For some reason, Jian Mei felt like a weight was suddenly lifted from his heart.He showed a wide smile, then waved at him, “Alright, I’ll go inside.”

Lu Xingwang nodded.

Jian Mei hurried back to the dormitory. As he entered the lobby, the lights were on, and nobody seemed to be asleep.

Nan Feng, sitting on the couch, was the first to jump up, “Finally, you’re back!”

Ying sighed in relief, “Are you okay, Mei Mei?”

“We were all wondering if you’d come back today.” Qiao ge stepped forward quickly, “It’s my fault; I put you in danger.”

Jian Mei hadn’t expected everyone to still be awake. He was genuinely touched and softly said, “Thank you, everyone. I’m fine now.”

Seeing he was alright, the others finally began asking the questions they were most curious about:

“Did you talk to the Crown Prince?”

“Did you go to the Crown Prince’s chambers?”

“I just saw the Crown Prince escorting you back.”

“…why is everyone so nosy?”

Jian Mei didn’t know which question to answer first, so he could only go one by one, “Yes, I talked to him. Yes, I went there. Yes, the Crown Prince escorted me back.”

Ying mimicked holding her cheeks and sighed, ” I’m so envious!”

Nan Feng clicked his tongue and sighed, “If only I asked Qiao ge to turn me into a cat. I’d bear this kind of pain willingly.”

Ying rolled her eyes, “Can you be a bit more serious?”

Qiao ge chuckled and said, “I feel like that was my peak, and I can’t seem to do it after that.”

Ying agreed, “Aren’t classes starting tomorrow? You can ask Professor Atesi; maybe he can answer your questions.”

Speaking of classes, Jian Mei indeed had a lot of questions.

Jian Mei noticed the small boy from the Xiwu family, who was curled up and already asleep on the nearby sofa. He asked, “You all have already been assigned classes and teachers at the school, what about me, him, and Yunshi? How do we attend classes tomorrow?”

Ying replied, “You don’t need to worry about that. Tomorrow, Teacher Atesi will conduct a test for the three of you, and afterward, classes will be organized based on your divine powers and academic performance.”

“A test?” Jian Mei felt a bit nervous. “What kind of test?”

Ying shook her head. “I don’t know. In fact, each of us has a different test paper, so no one can predict. All you need to do is rest well and wait for the test.”

With things laid out like that, Jian Mei had no choice but to comply.

The next morning, someone delivered their school uniforms. The sizes were perfect, and it was the first time Jian Mei felt such high-quality clothes – silky and perfectly fitting without being too hot or too cold.

When he descended downstairs, everyone was already dressed in their uniforms. The SA classes uniform was golden with a white coat.The collar and texture were a dark gold color, giving a dignified and noble appearance.

Nan Feng waved, “Hey, up already?”

Jian Mei shared a room with the Xiwu family boy, so the first thing he did in the morning was check if the kid was ready. Ultimately, they went downstairs together, and he replied, “Yes, up.”

Yunshi, with his casually tied long hair, gestured from the front, “Mei Mei, the three of us should go for the test.”

Jian Mei hurriedly took the child along.

The educational building was situated behind the dormitory, a bit deeper into the woods. It was a white building composed of cube-like blocks. According to Yunshi’s explanation, these blocks were randomly assembled, meaning they changed configurations at different times, and only students’ cards could swipe in.

Jian Mei and Yunshi walked to the entrance, swiping their cards to gain access.

Through the crystal corridor, they finally reached the classroom. Greeting them was a blonde, attractive female teacher. Her red lips were alluring, and tall figure. When she saw the three of them, she smirked, “We’ve got quite a few new students this year.”

The trio bowed respectfully, “Good morning, teacher.”

“Please take your seats,” said the blonde beauty. “Let me introduce myself. I’m Aster, your homeroom teacher. If you have any questions, you can come to me, even regarding personal matters.”

The three children couldn’t understand.

Aster shrugged, saying, “Alright, let’s begin the test. I’ll give you your papers to assess your current learning progress and situation. Be sure to answer them seriously.”

All the students acknowledged.

After distributing the test papers, both the Xiwu boy and Yunshi began answering the questions. Meanwhile, Jian Mei was lost in contemplation, staring at an entire chapter filled with characters he couldn’t comprehend.

When most students had finished their tasks, Jian Mei’s paper sadly remained blank. Aster approached, somewhat shocked, and hesitantly asked him, “Why aren’t you answering the questions?”

“…Sorry, teacher, it’s not that I don’t want to,” Jian Mei hesitated but finally spoke the truth, “It’s because I can’t read.”

A brief silence enveloped the room.

Everyone looked at him in astonishment. It was surprising that in this day and age, someone couldn’t read.

Of course, Aster thought the same way. Just as she was about to speak, she remembered the information she received about Jian Mei—seeing “deceased” under the parents’ section had softened her heart. He was a commoner; perhaps he lacked access to educational resources from an early age.

Aster sighed softly and gently said, “Mei Mei, not being able to read now is indeed a difficult situation. We’re a school focusing on divine power; only the elementary class offers enlightenment. I’ll arrange for you to attend extra classes outside the school.”

Yunshi and the Xiwu boy looked at Jian Mei, stunned.

Jian Mei blushed but nodded softly, “Okay.”

During the day, Aster had already arranged for Jian Mei to be connected with an external specialized institution. When Jian Mei entered, everyone there, being younger, looked at him with curiosity and surprise. Jian Mei’s thickened skin from recent experiences made him find a seat towards the back of the class and begin listening to the lesson.

Actually, learning the basics of reading wasn’t incredibly difficult; the most significant challenge was the psychological pressure.

Thus, when classes ended that evening, Jian Mei felt mentally and physically exhausted. Stepping out from the supplementary class, it was already getting dark, with the streets bustling in the Imperial City, teeming with people and traffic.

Feeling hungry, Jian Mei thought about finding a place to eat when his information terminal vibrated. Someone had sent a message, but the information screen was filled with characters he couldn’t understand. He tried tapping but only ended up with a more complicated interface, unable to even find the previous information panel.

“Ugh, this is so difficult…” Jian Mei sighed helplessly. “I should have just confessed last night; it’s embarrassing either way.”

As he walked on the street, preparing to return to school, the information terminal beeped again. This time, it was different from before. Although Jian Mei couldn’t read, he recognized a symbol resembling a small phone. Without hesitation, he tapped on it, and soon, he could hear a voice.

After a year, he heard Lu Xingwang’s voice again, separated by the communication device. “Hello.”

Jian Mei stiffened on the busy street, standing frozen in place.

Yesterday, facing him in person didn’t feel too overwhelming, but now, hearing his voice again through the communicator, it was like suddenly going back to the past. His mind went blank, and waves of longing surged like a tsunami.

Lu Xingwang lowered his voice, “Why aren’t you talking?”

Jian Mei’s eyes involuntarily reddened, and he whispered, “It’s nothing.”

Lu Xingwang furrowed his brows; he knew Jian Mei too well. The tone was obviously wrong. So, he asked, “Where are you?”

There were sounds of passing cars and horses around Jian Mei, clearly not inside the school. He honestly replied, “I’m outside, just finished class, getting ready to return to school.”

“Classes outside?” Lu Xingwang asked, puzzled, “Why?”

Jian Mei’s face blushed a bit, feeling a bit embarrassed. But before Lu Xingwang could react, seeing Jian Mei’s suspicious silence, he inquired cautiously, “Is it a tutoring class?”

How could you guess that!

Jian Mei stammered, “Uh-huh.”

“Tutoring what?” Lu Xingwang held documents in his hand, lips curved in a smile, “Enlightenment education?”

!!

Jian Mei felt like he was being teased without evidence!

Feeling a bit annoyed, he retorted softly, “Just learning to read.”

Lu Xingwang wasn’t too surprised, “Just started today?”

“Yeah.” Jian Mei walked while thinking and complained, “Your writing is really difficult. I listened all day today and feel like I can’t remember much…”

As he walked and pondered how far he had to go to get back to academy, he heard a voice from the phone saying, “I’ll teach you.”

Jian Mei’s walking pace came to a halt.

Lu Xingwang said to him, “Stay where you are; I’ll send someone to pick you up.”

After the call ended, Jian Mei was momentarily stunned. After a while, he realized that he hadn’t mentioned his location. How would DaZhuang ge know?

In reality, within a short time, a car arrived.

A honest and straightforward servant got out of the car and approached, saying, “Mr. Jian, His Highness asked me to pick you up. Please get in the car.”

Jian Mei tried, “What about academy?”

“Returning before curfew is fine,” the servant replied respectfully. “The academy has always been self-managed, and there shouldn’t be any issues.”

Jian Mei felt relieved.

Sitting in the car, he returned to the palace. After entering the study, he saw Lu Xingwang. A large stack of documents was piled on the table, indicating a heavy workload. Next to the Crown Prince’s desk, there was a small table. Lu Xingwang gestured, saying, “Sit there.”

Jian Mei obediently took a seat.

Lu Xingwang asked, “Did you honestly do your homework?”

“I did.” Jian Mei took out the calligraphy copybook and the letters and words he needed to memorize from his bag. “Today, I need to write these 50 times.”

“Alright,” Lu Xingwang acknowledged.

Jian Mei’s homework wasn’t just simple copying; the copybook provided by the teacher had mechanisms. Students had to write on it, and the copybook would record the frequency. In the end, any incorrect words wouldn’t be counted.

Jian Mei always wrote with crooked strokes. The written characters of the Stan Star language were complex, somewhat resembling hieroglyphics, with numerous challenging strokes. So, whenever he wrote, due to unfamiliarity, his characters turned out unrecognizable.

After a few attempts, he heard a voice in his ear, “Let me see.”

Jian Mei looked up, and Lu Xingwang, who was initially working, had already leaned over. The Crown Prince, in a black brocade robe, looked different from yesterday, exuding a mature and steady aura. He picked up the pen, demonstrated beside him, and wrote. His strokes were sharp, and the characters were robust. He spoke softly, “Write it like this. Understand?”

Jian Mei lowered his head and brightened his eyes, “Wow, DaZhuang ge, your handwriting is so nice!”

“…”

A trace of helplessness crossed Lu Xingwang’s eyes. “Write it once yourself.”

Jian Mei, full of confidence, exclaimed, “Sure!”

He took the pen and wrote with crooked strokes. Midway, he even forgot how to write and paused. Lu Xingwang sighed with a hint of helplessness, then said, “Jian Mei.”

“Hmm?”

Before Jian Mei could ask, Lu Xingwang, who was standing beside him, leaned down. The man, whose hands usually controlled everything, held Jian Mei’s soft hand. He whispered, “Let me guide you. Remember.”

The two suddenly got very close. From Lu Xingwang, there was a faint fragrance. His hands were somewhat cool, but for some reason, Jian Mei’s face felt a bit warm. After Lu Xingwang guided him through writing, he looked at Jian Mei and asked, “Learned it?”

…

Lost in his daydreams, Jian Mei suddenly snapped back to reality. He foolishly stared at the Crown Prince. “Ah…?”

Translator’s Note-Guys don’t forget to support and comment your views(^-^)

Sorry guys for this much delay.I had my exams and then i was facing some internet issues and was not able to translate much.I restarted now and hope we come back on track fast.