Chapter 6: The Food Box

Chapter 6: The Food Box

After Lu Huaijing and the others had come and gone, no one else from the Four Gates Academy was willing to approach Yu Jianli anymore.

It was as if Yu Jianli were a harbinger of misfortune, and anyone who approached him would inevitably invite trouble. Who wouldn't want their academic journey to be peaceful?

However, they were more than happy to see Yu Jianli in distress, preferably leaving them for good, which would restore tranquility to their lives.

But Yu Jianli didn't mind; he preferred the quietness too, and it gave him the opportunity to read more books.

At noon, Ming Zhiyan had clearly heard some rumors but didn't ask any specific questions.

Ming Zhiyan looked up at him, ensuring there was nothing out of the ordinary, then casually asked during a mealtime break, "Do you need me to teach them a lesson?"

The calm tone and confident demeanor suggested that he wasn't a fallen scholar but rather someone with significant power behind the scenes.

Yu Jianli shook his head. "No need. Besides, Lu Huaijing is not bad, and he stood up for me."

"Stood up for you?" Ming Zhiyan was surprised at first, then chuckled understandingly. "Yes, he can be quite superficial."

By 'superficial,' he meant 'a sucker for good looks.'

As long as Lu Huaijing hadn't truly harmed Yu Jianli, it was all right.

After the meal, Yu Jianli parted ways with Ming Zhiyan. On his way back, he spotted a familiar figure.

Tan Hui noticed Yu Jianli looking at him but didn't greet him directly. Instead, he gestured to a spot and walked over there first.

Yu Jianli quickly followed. In a secluded area, Tan Hui was waiting for him alone.

Tan Hui handed a bag to Yu Jianli, who took it, his body involuntarily swaying before regaining balance.

It was indeed heavy.

"Our young master asked me to give this to you," said Tan Hui, observing how difficult it was for Yu Jianli to carry it. "Shall I take it to your dormitory for you?"

Carrying such a large sum of money back to the dormitory was indeed inappropriate, so Yu Jianli nodded. "Yes, thank you for your help."

"It's no problem." Tan Hui smiled and took the bag back, then swiftly left, indicating he had some martial arts training.

Holding the real silver coins felt different from knowing that he would receive a sum of money soon.

Back at the dormitory, Yu Jianli couldn't sit still.

After the afternoon classes ended, Yu Jianli didn't immediately go to the dining hall but instead sought out Ji Yanbai.

Everyone would be going to eat at this time, yet Yu Jianli had never seen Ji Yanbai at the dining hall during these hours. He had heard that Ji Yanbai would practice archery at the shooting range when no one was around before having his meal, making this an excellent opportunity for a private meeting.

Yu Jianli approached the shooting range cautiously, peering inside.

He discovered that there were not only Ji Yanbai and Tan Hui but also several other people in the field, wearing red ribbons tied on top of their heads with apples attached, running around wildly as living targets for Ji Yanbai.

These living targets were all supervising students.

To Yu Jianli's surprise, among them was Song Yunwang.

Ji Yanbai had superior observational skills compared to ordinary people. As soon as Yu Jianli peeked in, Ji Yanbai noticed him.

Yu Jianli's sudden appearance here was clearly to find him. Without hesitation, Ji Yanbai loudly said, "Don't stop, run faster!"

Then, holding his bow and arrow, he strode towards the entrance.

The supervising students in the shooting range seemed puzzled by why Ji Yanbai suddenly left. They looked up but saw nothing, their view blocked by Tan Hui.

They didn't dare continue looking and could only obediently remain as targets.

Ji Yanbai had an upright posture, likely due to years of archery training, which broadened his shoulders and narrowed his waist. His tall and slender figure, combined with his long legs, made his strides larger than most, giving him a heroic and spirited gait.

As he approached Yu Jianli, his expressionless face locked onto him, causing Yu Jianli to feel momentarily flustered.

For a moment, he felt like he was a prey being targeted by Ji Yanbai.

Just the sight of Ji Yanbai walking towards him sent Yu Jianli's thoughts spiraling out of control.

Fortunately, he wasn't fond of reading stories about male pregnancies. If he had entered a more outrageous story where male pregnancies occurred, Ji Yanbai merely needed to walk towards a healthy bottom, and the bottom would be so excited that a litter of children would be born.

Ji Yanbai walked over and led him to a corner, asking, "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry for interrupting your act of justice," Yu Jianli apologized first.

Hearing this, Ji Yanbai couldn't help but chuckle. "How is it an act of justice? Aren't you all afraid of my behavior?"

In theory, such actions constituted bullying, simply tormenting others.

However, after getting to know Ji Yanbai better, one might suspect there was more to the story.

"Ming Zhiyan mentioned that you don't provoke trouble and only deal with those who deserve it. Those people have it coming. And Song Yunwang is indeed quite annoying."

"Ming Zhiyan..." Ji Yanbai recalled. "I've heard that you two are close."

As expected of the main character, even the final boss knew his name.

After inwardly marveling, Yu Jianli explained his purpose. "I wanted to tell you that if you encounter any difficulties in your studies, you can come to me. My grades are decent."

Unexpectedly, after Yu Jianli finished speaking, Ji Yanbai frowned. "Did you travel thousands of miles just to bring up these boring matters and upset me?"

Yu Jianli hurriedly denied it. "Not at all! I just felt that receiving so much silver feels excessive. I should do something more, and it just so happens that I'm skilled in these areas."

"Boring. What's given is given. You don't need to specifically tell me this. It's windy in the evening; what if the wind blows you away and you hit a tree and die?"

"I... I won't be blown away that easily."

Ji Yanbai glanced at Yu Jianli disdainfully. "With your thin arms and legs, I'm worried you'll collapse from exhaustion after a few steps. Go have a few more bites of food. Will you suddenly faint if you eat late?"

"No, I won't."

"I'll have Tan Hui escort you to the dining hall."

"There's no need for that."

Ji Yanbai didn't keep him longer. After finishing their conversation, he returned to the shooting range with his bow and arrow.

Watching him leave, Yu Jianli couldn't help feeling disheartened.

It turned out that in Ji Yanbai's eyes, he was someone who could easily die. Holding a writing brush for too long could tire him to death, walking could be blown away by the wind and crash into a tree, and eating late could lead to an untimely demise.

As he left the shooting range, Yu Jianli suddenly wondered for a moment if Ji Yanbai's treatment of Song Yunwang had anything to do with him.

He quickly dismissed the thought. Don't be presumptuous; they were just acquaintances.

*

Yu Jianli headed towards the dining hall. Before seeing the waiting Ming Zhiyan, he encountered Lu Huaijing first.

Due to his haste, Lu Huaijing had already reached the entrance.

Seeing this gentleman at the door, Yu Jianli subconsciously tried to avoid him. However, Lu Huaijing complained while approaching him. "You're not even enthusiastic about meals. No wonder you're weak and often sick!"

Yu Jianli couldn't understand why arriving late to the dining hall would provoke him.

All he could do was smile and reply, "Thank you for your concern."

But this sentence seemed to anger Lu Huaijing even more, causing him to loudly retort, "Who's concerned about you?!"

Yu Jianli remained silent, increasingly convinced that this person's emotions were unstable and his actions lacked reason.

Although Yu Jianli didn't show much intimacy towards Lu Huaijing, Lu Huaijing accompanied him into the dining hall.

It was strange, but since Lu Huaijing insisted on walking shoulder to shoulder with him, Yu Jianli couldn't deliberately shake him off.

The two of them entering the dining hall together naturally drew attention.

Some supervising students who had already finished lunch and were planning to leave couldn't resist stopping to look at them.

Regardless of their poor reputations, their appearances were undeniable.

Moreover, the disparity in their statuses was significant. Two handsome men inexplicably coming together would make anyone take a second glance, leading to whispers and discussions.

If it weren't for the fact that one of them looked restrained and puzzled, while the other appeared smugly triumphant, their scene together might have been more beautiful.

Sitting at the table, Ming Zhiyan watched them approach side by side, slightly narrowing his eyes before quickly returning to normal.

Upon reaching him, Yu Jianli's first action was to quietly explain, "I was delayed because of something."

Ming Zhiyan, however, looked at Lu Huaijing and nodded. "It's fine."

"Oh, my matter has nothing to do with him," Yu Jianli hastily clarified, fearing that Ming Zhiyan might misunderstand.

Ming Zhiyan didn't have many reservations and directly asked Lu Huaijing, "May I ask what advice Young Master Lu has to offer?"

Lu Huaijing seemed to be waiting for them to ask. After being questioned, he snorted, raised his chin, and sat down opposite Ming Zhiyan, slapping the table with his palm. "You guys can only eat the food from the dining hall every day. Don't you get tired of it?"

The dining hall provided free meals to the supervising students of the Imperial College. Both Ming Zhiyan and Yu Jianli were penniless and could only eat there.

This was actually mocking their poverty.

Ming Zhiyan didn't seem to care. "Are you sure you want to cause a scene here in public?"

Lu Huaijing hesitated for a moment but quickly regained his composure, lowering his voice somewhat as he continued to question, "Your families have fallen into such dire straits. It must have been a long time since you've tasted good food, right?"

Then, as if remembering something, he added, "Oh, my memory. Even before your fall, you probably couldn't afford to eat anything good."

Lu Huaijing beckoned, and soon three attendants arrived carrying food boxes to their table, taking out exquisite dishes and pastries.

Lu Huaijing introduced, "I was afraid you really haven't tasted good food and couldn't imagine the difference in taste, so I specially brought some for you to try. After eating this, you might find it hard to enjoy other meals."

As he spoke, their table was filled with dishes.

Yu Jianli looked at the food in amazement, unable to help but marvel. Indeed, it was a gourmet cuisine. The presentation alone was enough to deter one from trying it.

Not only was it beautifully prepared, but it was also fragrant and visually appealing.

The taste was likely to be excellent as well.

Yu Jianli's impression of Lu Huaijing improved once again. This gentleman came prepared with 'evidence' when ridiculing others, presenting facts and reasoning, and doing his homework thoroughly.

Truly worthy of being the second male lead with so much screen time.

Ordinarily, encountering such humiliation would make one flush with embarrassment and indignation.

However, Yu Jianli couldn't resist picking up his chopsticks and cautiously asked, "Can we really eat it?"

"Of course!" Lu Huaijing answered straightforwardly. "How will you know if what I said is true unless you try it?"

Yu Jianli nodded, picked up a piece to taste, and exclaimed, "It's really delicious. You're amazing; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to taste it."

"Ahh..." Lu Huaijing was taken aback by Yu Jianli's sincere gratitude, and the words of ridicule he had prepared were stifled. "Then... eat more."

Finding Yu Jianli's reaction amusing, Ming Zhiyan also picked up his chopsticks and started eating.

Lu Huaijing was still waiting for Ming Zhiyan's rebuttal but saw that Ming Zhiyan calmly accepted it!

He had noticed that when Ming Zhiyan was around Yu Jianli, he seemed to lose his fighting spirit, unwilling to talk much with him and not getting angry, instead serving dishes for Yu Jianli.

It was like a fighting cock adorned with peacock feathers, no longer fighting but showing off its plumage instead.

Lu Huaijing could only continue the introduction: "For this dish, someone beats a drum in rhythm while the ingredients are being sliced. That drum is an ancient artifact from a thousand years ago, having gathered immense spiritual energy from heaven and earth. With each slice, the drumbeats convey that spiritual energy into the dish."

Ming Zhiyan found this explanation rather silly; only someone as gullible and wealthy as Lu Huaijing would believe such a thing.

But to his surprise, Yu Jianli exclaimed in awe, "Really? That's incredible!"

Looking at the dish, Yu Jianli couldn't help but feel a profound respect, truly deserving of being in a world from a novel where even the food was so extraordinary!

Was this how medicinal pills were refined by cultivators in xianxia novels?

Ming Zhiyan was speechless.

He continued silently serving dishes for Yu Jianli, content as long as Yu Jianli enjoyed eating.