Chapter 57.2: The Two Kinds of Smart

They arrived in Jinling and checked into the hotel.

The others were placed in standard double rooms; only Li Zhuiyuan got a single.

No one thought this unfair. The six classmates knew they had made it through the city-level competition thanks to the boy's help.

Li Zhuiyuan lay on his bed, holding Wei Zhengdao.

There was a knock at the door.

Getting up to open it, he heard Principal Wu’s voice from the hallway before he could reach it: “Who are you?”

“I’m Xiaoyuan’s brother.”

“Brother?”

Wu Xinhang and Teacher Yan’s room was right across from Li Zhuiyuan’s.

At the moment, Teacher Yan was in another room supervising the six classmates as they worked through Olympiad math problems. The provincial competition started tomorrow. They weren’t cramming so much as keeping their mental gears well-oiled.

Wu Xinhang had left his door open to keep an eye on Li Zhuiyuan—like some mythic serpent guarding its treasure hoard.

Li Zhuiyuan opened the door and smiled when he saw who it was.

It was Xue Liangliang.

Haihe University was in Jinling.

Xue Liangliang handed his student ID to Principal Wu for inspection before being allowed past the guardian serpent to see his precious gem.

Closing the door behind them, Xue Liangliang grinned. “Xiaoyuan, your principal sure is protective of you.”

He bent down, pinched the boy’s cheek. “Let me breathe in some prodigy aura, help me on the path to cultivation, maybe land me a spot in the celestial ranks.”

“You shouldn’t be breathing in mine, Liangliang-ge.”

Xue Liangliang paused. “...What’s that you’re holding?”

“Some local specialties from Jinling. I figured you’d be too lazy to lug a bunch home, so I brought snacks to share.”

He pulled out a variety of treats. One of them was saltwater duck.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up a piece with his chopsticks and took a bite.

“How is it?”

“Tasty.”

“I never got used to that stuff,” Xue Liangliang shrugged. “But around here, public institutions and private companies alike hand out saltwater duck for holidays.”

“Tastes vary. I like things on the lighter side.”

This duck was little more than salty—no other seasoning to speak of.

“Hey, you know, the first time I read in your letter that you were in senior year of high school, I thought I misread it. Then I figured maybe you wrote the wrong character. Why didn’t you tell me earlier that you were in the accelerated program?”

“I did tell you.”

“You did?” Xue Liangliang furrowed his brow. “Must’ve spaced out then. So you’re taking the college entrance exams next year?”

“Mm.”

“Think about joining us as an alumnus?”

“Sure.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Really.”

Xue Liangliang’s face lit up. He pulled a letter from his pocket.

“You’re making it way too easy for me as your recruiter. Here, this is a letter from Luo Gong—you’ve met him before. He wanted me to try and persuade you to apply to our school early.”

The national exams were still some time away, but the competition had already begun.

Even though the provincial round was tomorrow, the results from the city level had already drawn blood in the water.

It all depended on the prestige of the competition district—and of course, on Li Zhuiyuan’s remarkable age.

Principal Wu had already told Li Zhuiyuan that several universities had made informal inquiries. Once the provincial results were out, the real hunt would begin.

Wu Xinhang was thrilled. His school didn’t yet have direct recommendation privileges.

Sure, educational quality was a collective effort, but in certain circles—or industries—producing a single standout could massively boost a school’s visibility and access to resources.

“Okay,” Li Zhuiyuan accepted the letter. “When’s the early admission?”

“Pfft...” Xue Liangliang had just raised his cup when he nearly spit his drink out, wiping his mouth. “Eager much?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“At this rate, people are gonna think our school’s hiding some kind of treasure.”

“No treasure needed. As long as there’s a Dead Sinker, I’m satisfied.”

“No no no, I’m terrified of your ghost stories, Xiaoyuan.”

“Hmm?”

“School ghost stories.”

“Oh, really? I don’t buy it.”

“I’m a total scaredy-cat.”

Li Zhuiyuan just stared at him, unblinking.

Xue Liangliang shrank back a little. “That one doesn’t count. She wasn’t a ghost, or a Dead Sinker. She was... warm.”

Li Zhuiyuan frowned. “There’s something warm under the river?”

“When your provincial scores are in, we’ll start the paperwork. I think you’ll get a perfect score again—winning a prize at provincials won’t be a problem. That’ll meet the criteria for early admission.”

Technically, Xue Liangliang wasn’t entirely correct. The criteria weren’t that rigid. They existed to simplify the screening process—but when someone’s talent and ability clearly surpassed the norm, the rules could be bent.

“I’ve taken time off work. When you all head back, I’m tagging along shamelessly on the same bus.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve locked in my post-grad placement. I’m moving to Mountain City early next month.”

“Oh, so you want to visit your girlfriend one last time before you leave.”

“You say ‘girlfriend’ so casually. I thought you didn’t like—or were scared of—her kind.”

“I can’t stand the Bai family. But if she can send all of them back underwater, I respect that. That’s where they belong.”

Xue Liangliang took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He muttered, “Still took a hell of an effort on my part.”

“Should we write your contribution into the local chronicles then? You did make a huge sacrifice to protect the community.”

“Haha, that’d be ridiculous. Anyone reading that later would probably curse both me and the scribe for being total fools.”

“And you still want to go see her?”

“Once I’m in Mountain City, who knows when I’ll be back. I’d like to visit her before I go. It’s a mandatory task.”

“Like my grandpa and great-grandpa handing in grain to the government?”

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