Chapter 149: Jia Longwu
Chapter 149: Jia Longwu
“I…”
Being called out so bluntly by Tang Jinbiao left Zhang Tianyi speechless.
“No, I’m definitely not learning! Damn it! Back then, just because I was blind, I peeked at ××× bathing, I still have nightmares!”
Mentioning peeking at women bathing, Tang Jinbiao wore a face full of resentment. Back then, after seeing Tang Yilin, he’d get beaten like a kid for all sorts of reasons. Later, by accident, he saw Chu Yunyun and almost lost his life. There was no way he’d do something like that now, even if beaten to death.
“Pah! Don’t ruin such elegant art with such crude words! It’s appreciating, appreciating! Do you even get it? Hmph! I bet you don’t, you pervert with a brain full of sperm!”
Hearing his proud “craft” called dirty and low, Zhang Tianyi’s face turned green. Instantly, he counterattacked, calling Tang Jinbiao shameless and vile.
“Fuck! You’re the one with sperm in your brain! Your whole family has sperm in their brains! I might just break your arms and legs. Think your age gives you the right to bully people? Ever seen a fist this big, like a monk’s bowl? Heard of the city patroller profession? I’ll tell you, I’ve been determined since childhood to be a city patroller. When I say I’ll beat you to death, I mean it!”
Tang Jinbiao threw down the watermelon seeds, stood up, strode toward Zhang Tianyi, raised his fist, and even started threatening.
“What?”
Zhang Tianyi trembled at Tang Jinbiao’s words. He shakily stood too, face burning with anger: “You little bastard! How ungrateful! You’d dare raise a hand against me? You’d actually dare?”
Though Zhang Tianyi looked furious and aggrieved, his eyes clearly said, “Come on then, hit me,” practically daring Tang Jinbiao.
“Pah! Don’t think your age shields you. So what if I hit you? Today, I’m hitting you! I’m someone determined since childhood to be a city patroller!”
Step by step, Tang Jinbiao approached, rolling up his sleeves, poised to strike Zhang Tianyi.
“Ah! Violence! Violence! This unfilial son wants to beat his old man! Look here, everyone! Passersby, don’t miss this!”
Seeing Tang Jinbiao charge, Zhang Tianyi yelled madly and bolted out of the courtyard.
Whoosh!
As Zhang Tianyi fled, the restriction barrier that had cloaked the courtyard slowly flickered away.
“Fuck! If you’re brave, don’t run!”
Seeing Zhang Tianyi escape, Tang Jinbiao stood his ground, firing verbal shots.
He never truly intended to beat Zhang Tianyi. Of course, if a fight broke out, Tang Jinbiao likely couldn’t withstand even a glare from him.
Once Zhang Tianyi vanished, silence fell over the courtyard.
“Cough… if you’re not coming back, I’m going out!”
About fifteen minutes later, Tang Jinbiao, tired of waiting, sighed. He opened the courtyard gate and walked out.
Outside, he looked around. Neighboring courtyards looked ordinary but were shielded by barriers, hiding their interiors. Curiosity itched but he dared not trespass. He simply picked a small path and followed it.
After three or four turns, bustling voices drifted from ahead.
“Hm? People over there!”
Excited by the sound, Tang Jinbiao headed toward its source.
A few more bends brought him to a square plaza roughly a hundred meters long and wide. At its center stood a low platform, elevated about one meter, measuring around ten square feet.
Over a hundred cultivators sat cross-legged around this platform, attentively listening to the speaker atop it.
On the platform stood a short, thin old man with a slightly lewd smile. He spoke passionately, words streaming out.
“Fuck! He actually came here!”
After seeing the old man, a strange expression crossed Tang Jinbiao’s face as he cursed inwardly.
That old man on the Platform Stage was none other than Zhang Tianyi, who had just dashed out moments before.
“Vice President Zhang, this student has a question!”
At that moment, a blue-robed Cultivator who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old stood up in the square and voiced his doubt loudly.
Though young, this Cultivator emitted the unique aura pressure of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator—clearly a Cultivator at the Early Foundation Establishment Stage.
“Hmm?”
Standing on the Platform Stage, Zhang Tianyi frowned slightly upon noticing someone rising to question him. He turned his gaze toward the young man.
Still, he granted the boy the opportunity to speak, asking, “What is your question? Speak!”
“Vice President Zhang, this student does not understand. If, as Senior you said, beauty is all around us, but not everyone has the eyes to see it, then this student asks: what is beauty? And what is ugliness?”
The young blue-robed Cultivator posed his question.
Hearing this, appreciative glances from the audience fell upon the youth. Many immediately turned their eyes to Zhang Tianyi, eagerly awaiting his response.
Others wore thoughtful expressions, seemingly eager to grasp the nature of beauty and ugliness.
Of course, a very few among them had enigmatic half-smiles playing on their faces.
“Hmm, excellent. I believe you ask a most reasonable question!”
Zhang Tianyi lowered his head, pondering deeply with an air of serious contemplation.
“This…”
Tang Jinbiao was also momentarily stunned by the young man’s question.
People constantly spoke of beauty and ugliness, good and evil, but he had never given it much thought before. He simply felt that if a woman was pretty, she was beautiful; if not, she was ugly. As for what true beauty or ugliness actually meant, how it was defined, or how it was judged—he hadn’t contemplated it carefully.
Reflecting on this, Tang Jinbiao too sank into thought.
Thwack!
However, just as Tang Jinbiao was lost in these musings, he suddenly felt a clap on his shoulder.
“Who is it?”
Tang Jinbiao instinctively sprinted forward a few steps before whirling around, his voice sharp with vigilance.
But when he turned, he found that the one who had patted his shoulder was a handsome young man. Yes, undeniably handsome.
The figure wore elegant, flowing blue robes. A slender build made the robes seem slightly oversized. He stood just under half a head shorter than Tang Jinbiao, roughly reaching his ear level.
The face was striking: thick, sword-like eyebrows stark black as if painted, large bright eyes that shone like clear pools, a square jaw conveying steadiness and dignity, a straight nose, thin lips, and a mane of rich black hair just covering the ears, lending an air of artistic flair.
Yet, despite his handsome features, his skin possessed an unusual paleness that, upon closer look, also hinted at a feminine delicacy.
“Huh?”
Tang Jinbiao blinked at the sight of such a beautiful young man. But his eyes flicked downward, settling on the figure’s chest—as flat and unremarkable as a plain. Relief washed over him, and he muttered, “Whew, it is a guy. For a moment I thought a beauty was hitting on me!”
“You!”
A flicker of irritation crossed the handsome young man’s face at Tang Jinbiao’s wandering eyes. Yet, almost immediately, a charmingly “cool” smile replaced it.
“Hey there, handsome! Whatcha up to?” he asked.
His voice was an androgynous tenor, impossible to discern as distinctly male or female.
“Hey!”
Tang Jinbiao carefully scrutinized the figure, deciding this had to be a handsome guy without a doubt, then pointed toward a group of people deep in contemplation.
“Handsome guy, let’s get acquainted! I’m Jia Longwu, a new student just assigned to Class Seventeen this year. Which class are you from? Judging by your look, you must be a Body Refiner!”
The “handsome guy” extended a hand, seeming ready for a handshake, and asked with a smile.
The hand looked small and slender, unmistakably that of a girl.
“Me!”
Seeing the proffered hand, Tang Jinbiao’s face twisted with uncertainty.
“Hmm? What’s the matter?”
Jia Longwu frowned slightly, thinking Tang Jinbiao didn’t want to acknowledge them.
“Nothing, nothing! Hand… hand… handsome… Forget it, I’ll just ask straight out. Are you actually a handsome guy or a beautiful girl?”
Tang Jinbiao couldn’t tell anymore. This person looked undeniably handsome, yet upon closer inspection, was clearly a strikingly handsome girl.
“Pfft, what do you think?”
Seeing the bewilderment on Tang Jinbiao’s face, Jia Longwu couldn’t help but cover their mouth, giggling softly.
“I…”
Tang Jinbiao was speechless.
“What do you say?”
Jia Longwu laughed for a moment longer before adopting a playful expression and asking again.
“Hmm, of course! It must be like this!”
Tang Jinbiao frowned slightly, narrowing his eyes as two tiny formations seemed to flicker within them, instantly transforming the person before him into an ephemeral presence composed of swirling currents.
Tsk tsk!
For some reason, feeling the weight of Tang Jinbiao’s intense gaze, Jia Longwu shivered involuntarily, a chill running down their spine.
“Haha, I got it!”
At that moment, Tang Jinbiao snapped back to normal, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. “Heh heh, someone this cute just has to be a boy, right?”
“I…”
This time, it was Jia Longwu’s turn to be at a loss for words. The lingering intensity of Tang Jinbiao’s expression and his unsettling gaze made them feel profoundly uncomfortable – as if, for that split second, they had been completely laid bare and seen through by the man before them.
“Ahem, ahem! Everyone, quiet!”
However, just at that moment, after the Platform Stage had been silent for about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Zhang Tianyi finally cleared his throat, seemingly preparing to deliver some lofty discourse.
The hall, of course, had been utterly silent the whole time, with everyone merely lost in their own thoughts.
“Vice President Zhang is about to speak.”
“He’s a Tribulation Transcendent, he’s sure to share some profound insights!”
“Absolutely, I’ve heard every Vice Dean of the Divine Wind Academy is an incredible Tribulation Transcendent!”
“Exactly! Last month, I heard a lecture by Vice Dean Li Qiushui in the Southern District – it truly felt like a veil was lifted!”
“I was there too! Vice Dean Li certainly lived up to his reputation!”
“Just two months here, and though my cultivation level hasn’t surged, I feel my horizons have broadened immensely!”
“Hmm, seems like we’re in for some profound teaching today. Who knows what earth-shattering pronouncements Vice President Zhang might make!”
Seeing Zhang Tianyi ready to address them, the crowd perked up with keen anticipation.
“I’m curious what kind of grand wisdom that old geezer will spout!”
Tang Jinbiao lost interest in Jia Longwu. Since he wasn’t officially enrolled at the Divine Wind Academy yet, he figured he’d need to find Zhang Tianyi later to sort out the admission process.
“This person is so strange!”
Standing behind him, Jia Longwu observed Tang Jinbiao for a few moments more, seemed to notice something off, furrowed their delicate brows, and whispered lowly to themselves.
“Hmm… Regarding the question raised earlier by this young friend… I find it deeply meaningful,” Zhang Tianyi paused thoughtfully, adopting a profoundly serious expression as he began to speak slowly.
“I pondered it… Now, if you want to ask, what is beauty? What is ugliness? Well… I can only tell you this: You see… in this world… originally, there were no paths. Only once many people walked upon the ground… did paths emerge.”
“And this matter of beauty and ugliness… follows the same principle…”
“Originally… you understand… in this world, there was no distinction between beauty and ugliness…”
“It only came into being… because many people started to compare…”
“Thus… naturally… the concepts of beauty and ugliness were born…”
“For instance… below… below… below… we will now proceed to discuss how to… peek at women… Pah! How to appreciate beauty…”
“Primarily… you must first… you must…”