Chapter 1564: Message

Chapter 1564: Message

Zu An looked rather sullen as he thought, What does that have to do with me?

Wait, why does this ‘big brother Xiu’ sound familiar? Don’t tell me…

Just as the two swords were about to make contact with his body, a hoe suddenly appeared beside him. With just a casual touch, it sent both women flying. A simple-looking old farmer stood in front of the two women, snapping, “Do not make trouble!”

“Sir… Sir Seventh,” both women said in unison. When they saw who it was, they kept quiet out of fear.

Chu Chuyan’s eyes lit up. Sir Seventh? This is most likely the Libationer’s seventh disciple Wang Shuyang! In the past, dad had nothing but praise for this man, because he was someone who truly worried for the common people.

Chu Chuyan had heard the legends surrounding Sir Seventh in the past. She carried the utmost admiration toward such a noble and clean-living man. However, she hadn’t expected Sir Seventh to actually look like an old farmer. She couldn't see any trace of a capable individual’s bearing from him. Still, she quickly realized his appearance made perfect sense.

Wang Shuyang lectured the two women for a while, but he didn’t make things too hard for them. He let them go afterward. In response, Zu An cupped his hands and expressed his thanks, then introduced Chu Chuyan.

Wang Shuyang revealed a simple and sincere smile, remarking, “Miss Chu is elegant in appearance, as expected.”

Of course, despite what he said, his eyes remained pure. It was as if the most beautiful women in this world couldn’t compare the rice paddy in his hands.

“Sir Seventh, what were they fighting over exactly?” Chu Chuyan couldn't help but ask after returning the greeting. When she thought of her previous suspicions that the women had been fighting over Zu An, she couldn’t help but smile.

“It seems to be about a popular student in the academy. I do not know the details, as I do not usually pay much attention to these things,” Wang Shuyang replied. He then enthusiastically told Zu An, “Sir Zu, that hybridized rice paddy idea you suggested really provided me with great benefits! I found that infertile male variant you spoke of and succeeded in creating a crossbred paddy, but that crossbred paddy’s later generations quickly returned to being normal paddies. I had no solutions for that…”

When she saw him consult Zu An respectfully, Chu Chuyan’s eyes widened. She assumed that Wang Shuyang was already at the peak of agricultural knowledge, to the extent that even the libationer shouldn’t have known more than him in that field. And yet, someone like that was consulting Zu An?

Wait, Zu An knows about this stuff?

She had thought she already understood Zu An quite well, but she had never heard of him having knowledge of such a field. She was worried that with his nature, he might have just shot his mouth off and fooled Wang Shuyang.

She wondered whether to have a good talk in private with Ah Zu about the subject later. After all, Wang Shuyang was someone who really did care about the well-being of the world’s common people; he was lofty and unsullied. It wasn’t right for Ah Zu to deceive him. At the same time, she was worried that Ah Zu could be exposed by the question from Wang Shuyang. If that happened, it would really be bad for his reputation.

However, Zu An seemed to take the matter very seriously as he said, “This isn’t too difficult of a problem. There’s something called the ‘Three Type Form’. The infertile male variant you found can be the source plant. Find two partners for it. Call one the preserved type, and the other the restored type.

“The first partner should look very similar to the mother variant. It should have a robust amount of pollen and a developed stigma. If you use its pollen for the source plant, you should collect daughters. They will look exactly the same as the source plant. They also have small stamens and shriveled anthers, original forms that are infertile.

“The other partner should be entirely different from the source plant, usually larger. It should have have a robust amount of pollen and a developed stigma. If you use its pollen on the source plant, you should collect sons. They will be stronger than both of their parents.

“Then, plant in separate locations a breeding farm and a control farm to produce the infertile type and the preserved type…”

Chu Chuyan was stunned when she heard Zu An explain the details. She thought she was pretty smart herself, but even though she knew what the individual words Zu An said meant, when they were strung together, she had no idea at all.

Is he trying to deceive Wang Shuyang right now? she thought. However, when she saw the shock and admiration on Wang Shuyang’s face, she suddenly felt that something was wrong with the world. Why does Ah Zu know about these things?! He even made the number one farmer Wang Shuyang feel sincere respect!

Wang Shuyang tugged on Zu An’s hand and said enthusiastically, “Sir Zu really is a great genius! Even after this humble one’s decades of study, my knowledge cannot compare to these few pieces of advice at all!”

Zu An replied in embarrassment, “Sir Wang is the true expert. I’m nothing more than an armchair strategist.”

What he said was true. All he provided was some bits and pieces he remembered from watching documentaries. He could give a rough summary, but if he were to really carry it out, he would definitely be fumbling around in the dark.

Wang Shuyang naturally didn’t know that. He said, “Sir is humble, as expected. If the students at the academy could have just one percent, no, one ten-thousandth of sir’s  scholarly knowledge and character, that would be the academy’s blessing.”

When she heard Wang Shuyang’s praise, even the usually composed Chu Chuyan’s mouth hung wide open. Even after Wang Shuyang ran off excitedly to test out what Zu An said, Chu Chuyan still couldn’t recover from her shock. She glanced at Zu An from time to time.

Zu An couldn't help but touch his face, asking, “What, is there something on my face?”

Chu Chuyan sighed and said, “I’ve suddenly discovered that I actually don’t understand you.”

“Haha, there’s a lot of things you don’t know. Your man is a thick book you need to flip through slowly,” Zu An said proudly.

When she saw that familiar nature of his, a smile appeared on Chu Chuyan’s face. She shot back, “Hmph, you really have no sense of shame.”

…

Just like that, the two of them continued up the mountain. Zu An explained which teacher’s territory each area was. He had already visited a few times before, so he was already familiar with the area. However, he actually felt a bit disappointed, because it didn’t seem as if Jiang Luofu was at the academy.

“Up ahead is Hei Baizi’s place. Xie Xiu took him as his master,” Zu An said, although as soon as he finished speaking, he was stunned to see a group of female students surrounding the courtyard. He wondered out loud in confusion, “What’s going on? Is Hei Baizi taking female disciples now?

The two of them walked over, and only then did they see what was happening. It turned out that  Hei Baizi was lecturing Xie Xiu. Meanwhile, the female students were all noisily discussing something. The topic seemed to be the target of the criticism, Xie Xiu. Some of them said Xie Xiu deserved it, but they were immediately attacked by all their fellow students.

“I’m just a simple passerby, but I feel that it isn’t right for such a bright young man to be slandered like this.”

“I wasn’t paying attention before, but when I saw that so many people in the academy were slandering him, I wanted to know more. Then, I ended up becoming a fan of this guy.”

“Even if you don’t love him, don’t hurt him. Also, if you like big brother Xiu, don’t fight against other people. We should all remain in our own groups.”

“The one we love has sparkling eyes; his smile is like the cheerful sunlight…”

“That old man is going way too far! What did big brother Xiu do wrong for him to be punished like this?!”

“Are you tired of living? Do you not know how high Hei Baizi’s status is in the academy? He can stop you from graduating with a mere word.”

“What, then do I have to just watch as he bullies big brother Xiu? No way! I have to report him to the superiors!”

“Exactly! We’ll report him to the academy! We’ll even find the libationer if we have to!”

The students were getting more and more excited. Zu An and Chu Chuyan looked at each other in dismay. Just what in the world was going on?

While Xie Xiu was being punished, he suddenly noticed Zu An. It was as if he had suddenly found his savior. He cried, “Please save me!”

Hei Baizi also saw Zu An, and couldn't help but feel happy. He rushed out and said, “Brother Zu came at a great time. I’ve finally developed a solution to win at the five-in-a-row game you developed last time. Come in, come in, let’s play a round.”

Chu Chuyan was now even more shocked. Hei Baizi was known to be unrivaled in chess. Judging from his tone, it seemed he had lost to Zu An and wasn’t satisfied yet!

Zu An had a bitter smile as he replied, “That five-in-a-row of mine was nothing more than a cheap trick; there’s no way it wouldn’t escape the eyes of a true expert like you. If you’re saying you’ve seen through it, you’ve naturally done so. There’s no need for further competition.”

“Winning is winning; losing is losing. How can it be as simple as my having solved it just by saying so? Quick, let’s give it a try. Xiu’er, go and set up the board,” Hei Baizi said, not letting go of him. He had an impatient expression.

When Xie Xiu saw that his master didn’t have any intentions of criticizing him, he was overjoyed. He quickly rushed in to grab a chessboard for them.

“But I still have to accompany my lady to see the libationer,” Zu An said, feeling a huge headache.

“How can meeting the libationer be as interesting as a game of chess? I’ll just call someone to bring her there,” Hei Baizi said, waving his hand and calling someone over.

Chu Chuyan couldn't help but chuckle. She said to Zu An, “You should just play some games with him. The sect told me to pass on the message to the libationer alone too.”

Zu An was stunned. He was curious about what the White Jade Sect wanted to say to the libationer.