7 Chapter 6: Fei Wu the trash (1/2)
”Hey!” Teacher Jiao snapped angrily. ”Student Fei Wu managed to pass the entrance exams at the very least, and has proven himself to be capable! He has one of the best grades in the theory exams too! Don't you think you're going too far?” that's too much?”
”That still doesn't change the fact that this brat is trash,” Xiao Zhang replied indifferently. I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists tightly, but couldn't say anything. Not caring about my response, the principal continued. ”Well, it's within the parameters of expectations. In every batch, there's bound to be at least three or four One Star Constitution trash. I was already surprised that there wasn't one so far. It just so happened that this guy happened to be it.”
”Ha ha ha ha ha! Fei Wu is really trash! Ha ha ha ha ha!”
Qi Fu Ren couldn't stop laughing. His underlings laughed alongside him, though I suspected that they hadn't the faintest clue what their boss was amused by, given their limited intelligence. The rest of the class either looked at me in pity, or were just as condescending as Xiao Zhang. Given that I wasn't in a world I was familiar with, it seemed that the might is right mentality was the hegemonic social attitude here.
Teacher Jiao merely shook his head in disgust and gestured for me to leave. I hastily withdrew, not wanting to remain in the spotlight any longer.
You've got to be kidding me.
I couldn't help cursing the heavens. Of all the people to have a One Star Constitution, it had to be me, didn't it? And right after Bai Ning Xue received news that she was a Five Star Constitution. It was as if the heavens were deliberately making fun of me.
Damn it!
”Don't worry. We'll figure something out.”
Zhu Jiao consoled me as I returned to the place below. He placed an assuring hand on my shoulder and nodded grimly.
”I won't let these bastards look down on you.”
”Thanks.”
”It's your turn now.”
Xiao Zhang ignored me and turned his gaze onto Zhu Jiao, looking as if he held some sort of expectation. Zhu Jiao swallowed nervously, gave me one last look, and then stepped forward. Taking a deep breath, he climbed the stage.
”Heh…will he be another trash like Fei Wu?”
Qi Fu Ren was still scoffing from his spot, rubbing his hands in glee as he sought for more victims to ridicule.
Zhu Jiao paid him no attention. He took another deep breath before he stepped forward and placed his hand on the Blackstone.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the Blackstone flared brilliantly, a golden pillar of light blasting into the skies. Identical to Bai Ning Xue, who was smiling in satisfaction – the first time I had actually seen the Ice Princess smile – Zhu Jiao's result pierced the heavens with a sharp intensity, overawing everyone.
”Amazing…! He's also a Five Star Constitution candidate?!”
”We have two Five Star Constitution people in our class?!”
”That's awesome!”
Xiao Zhang also looked impressed and delighted. At least until the light sputtered and flickered to nothingness.
”…eh?”
Zhu Jiao looked puzzled, even as he continued pressing his hand against the Blackstone. He glanced at Xiao Zhang, hoping that the old man would explain what that meant.
Xiao Zhang merely shook his head in disappointment.
”Alas…you did indeed have a Five Star Constitution, but it seemed like that was only in the past. For reasons unknown, you lost your talent, and have fallen into that of a One Star Constitution. I hope you regain your talent, but such things rarely happen. I am sorry, but it seems that you are also trash. I do not think any sect will want to risk taking you as a disciple on the slim hope that you would somehow recover your Five Star Constitution.”
”Ha ha ha ha ha ha! So Zhu Jiao is trash as well? How funny! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!”
Qi Fu Ren burst out laughing once again, slapping his thighs in delight.
That bastard really enjoyed watching the misfortune and suffering of other people. I clenched my fists, wishing that I would be able to pay him back for his insults and condescending attitude one day. One fucking day…
Huh? But this whole stupid scenario where a talented guy suddenly lost his talent for unknown reasons and got reduced to trash…where did I hear that before?
Right. The protagonists of many wuxia novels. For reasons unknown, the talented protagonist would suddenly lose his talent, and become trash, and was ridiculed by the antagonists, his own clan and family members, and everyone. But he somehow regained his talent and even surpassed his former glory either through Deus ex Machina scenarios where he met a ghost master or received a burst of lightning from the heavens or conveniently stumbled across a secret manual. I had literally seen dozens of stories repeating that same pattern over and over again.
Zhu Jiao is really a wuxia protagonist, huh? (A pun here, because protagonist also reads as Zhu Jiao in Chinese)
No doubt Zhu Jiao would find a way to overcome his predicament and pay back tenfold all those who mocked and humiliated him. Standard, repetitive wuxia story pattern. I could already guess the plot advancement even this early into the story.
The only problem is me, who's merely a non-protagonist side character who would get forgotten as the plot advances and either get left behind or killed by the antagonists. I wouldn't be surprised if I get killed by Qi Fu Ren as a way to justify Zhu Jiao getting revenge on the bastard later on and legitimize his taking of Qi Fu Ren's life.
…not that it would help me much. Fuck.
”Well, looks like you're not alone.”
Zhu Jiao forced a smile as he dropped off the stage and approached me. I didn't know what to say. I wanted to scream that my situation was different, that at least he used to have talent, before he somehow lost it. That his case was somehow much more different from mine, who was completely hopeless because I never had talent to begin with. That his fate was to overcome all these hurdles, surpass even his former lost talent and wreak vengeance upon all those who were looking down on him right now.
Like Qi Fu Ren.
Credit to them, not all our classmates were mocking or looking down on us. A few looked at us sympathetically, and a few seemed to be at a loss as to what they could do. Ban Zhang made to step forward, probably to offer some help or encouraging words, but Xiao Zhang broke in with another announcement.
”Class 1-5, it's your turn.”
That was right. There were still about 6 more classes behind us. There was a total of ten classes, each with about forty students. All in all, there were approximately four hundred students in the current batch.
Seemed like it was going to be a long morning…
Fortunately, time seemed to fly past, and the other six classes were done before an hour was up. Granted, it didn't take too much time to step up the stage, place your hand on the black monument, and then have Xiao Zhang announce your Constitution.
Once everyone was done, Xiao Zhang resumed his place in front of the entire cohort.
”Now…you may choose your sects. All those masters there will come forward and try to recruit you. Talk to them, see what sects are the best fit for you, and make your decision wisely.” he smiled broadly. ”But if you're interested in learning a variety of different martial arts, or perhaps intend to learn and restore some of the lost ones, or maybe experiment and combine a myriad of techniques in order to advance the progress of martial arts, of course you're more than welcome to approach me. We have a completely different program for that.”
The martial arts masters of the myriad of sects wasted no time coming forward eagerly, approaching all the higher-star Constitutions. Zhu Jiao and I stood off to the side, and as we expected, not even one master looked in our direction.
”Our situation is hopeless, huh?”
Placing his hands behind his head, Zhu Jiao muttered darkly. I glanced at him, resigned to becoming either his sidekick as he surged toward the top, or ending up dead as a plot device to motivate him to gain power.
”As long as we don't give up, we'll find a way.” I sighed. ”I guess the only option we have right now is to self-learn. Get into the Experimentalist program and try to restore lost martial arts. If no one wants to teach us, we'll have to learn techniques on our own.”
”I'm afraid it's not that simple.”
Both of us spun around and saw Teacher Jiao heading toward us. He looked a little sad and sympathetic.
”In order to gain access to sensitive documents and archives containing lost martial arts, or to have permission to learn all the different martial arts techniques that Wu Ling Academy is allowed to disseminate freely, you are required to reach a certain level. A level that you won't be able to reach easily without any guidance or teaching. That, and a lot of resources…” he glared at Xiao Zhang. ”Resources that the principal would refuse to spend. Not for two people he views as 'trash'.”
He then turned back to us and placed each hand on our shoulders.
”But I know you're not trash. You just have different things that you're good at. Not everyone is equal, but everyone is different. Each person has a unique talent, something that only he or she is good at. You might not be cut out for martial arts, but you can still contribute to the martial world and Martial Academy. To dismiss you as trash because you can't fight is utterly narrow-minded and short-sighted.”
”Thank you,” Zhu Jiao bowed his head gratefully, but then he sulked. ”That doesn't really help our situation right now, though. And I want to learn martial arts and fight.”
”Oh, I'll take care of that.” Teacher Jiao raised his head and glanced at the row of luxurious buildings built from white marble. Again, I was reminded of how Wu Ling Academy resembled a palace more than a campus. ”While your access to Wu Ling Academy's store of martial arts techniques is certainly restricted, there are a few martial arts that you'll be allowed to learn.”