He turned his head and followed Jia Tengying into the academy.
Just now, on the road, Zhao Rong had been fishing for information and had finally ascertained which three characters constituted "Jia Tengying." He heaved a sigh, reluctantly admiring the talent of the person who had chosen this name, which was simply unfathomable.
Tengying had mentioned that it was his hometown private school teacher who had given him the name. His given name was Jia Fei, and the courtesy name should complement the given name, Tengying symbolizing the soaring of a mighty eagle.
However, Zhao Rong felt that besides the eagle striking the sky, its fingers... ugh, its claws were indeed formidable, a strength as well.
At this moment, he was walking with Jia Tengying along a corridor by a lake within the academy, a meandering path that passed by the front of the Six Halls in succession.
Zhao Rong walked with his hands behind his back, gazing forward but after a moment couldn’t help but turn his head and speak again, "Tengying, hearing you speak , the private school teacher who gave you your courtesy name truly commands respect, dedicated to teaching for forty years, toiling quietly, enlightening a vast number of children."
Hearing this, Jia Tengying smiled broadly, scratching the back of his head, "Ziyu, I hadn’t expected you..."
He halted his speech suddenly and along with it,
the footsteps stopped as well.
Jia Tengying’s gaze drifted past Zhao Rong, fixated on a scene outside the corridor that had caught his eye, leaving him rooted to the spot.
Zhao Rong blinked and looked towards where Jia Tengying was staring.
He saw a majestic and solemn hall in that direction, inscribed with the name "Cultivation."
At that moment, a group of students was emerging from the Cultivation Hall, chatting and laughing lively.
Yet Zhao Rong noticed almost immediately that the students seemed to be clustering around a handsome young man.
The group was heading towards the corridor.
The Cultivation Hall was not far from the corridor, and amidst Zhao Rong’s curiosity and Jia Tengying’s daze, the handsome young man, leading the following students, stepped onto the corridor and passed by the two of them.
Zhao Rong, noticing that he and Jia Tengying were somewhat blocking the way, took a polite step back and also tugged at the still-distracted Jia Tengying, making way for them.
The handsome young man, who had been talking and laughing with the surrounding students, glanced over at this scene and turned his head to offer Zhao Rong and his companion a friendly smile.
Zhao Rong’s mouth curved upward in response.
Jia Tengying looked down, glancing at the book roll in his hand and switching it to the other hand.
The handsome young man turned back to face front as there were more teasing comments from the students.
"Haha, Senior Han, are you going to discuss scholarly matters with Senior Yu again? You just went this morning, didn’t you?"
With a helpless smile, Senior Han shook his head and didn’t pick up the thread of the conversation, "It’s not a discussion; Huaijin’s knowledge surpasses mine by a lot. I’m going to seek advice."
One of the students shook his head with a smile, "Senior, you are being modest again. Although Yu Huaijin indeed ranked first among the Six Halls during the mid-month exam, as our number one from the Cultivation Hall, you were only a bit behind her. How could you not compare? Maybe that gap was just because the teachers were tired when grading the papers."
Senior Han’s handsome face was serious as he shook his head, "You don’t understand, Huaijin really is much more formidable than me..."
When he uttered "Huaijin," his tone was affectionate.
The student who had just spoken asked with a smile, "What is it this time that you wish to consult about, Senior?"
Senior Han smiled faintly, "I was inspired by the falling leaves in Fenglin at noon today, and I remembered a couplet Huaijin once mentioned. I added a few lines at the end, which happened to hit the mark. Considering the credit is mostly hers, I am on my way to present it to her."
With that, he produced a maple leaf.
Suddenly, upon seeing the poetic Grade, the crowd grew a bit quieter, with everyone’s glances carrying a teasing edge.