The Marquis Mansion’s Elite Class

Zong Wenxiu was clearly imitating the handwriting style of Hanlin North Academy, but it was evident that due to his short period of practice, he had not yet mastered its essence. There was still a noticeable gap compared to the academy's uniform printed script.

Luo Chen sneered, "The purpose of writing is to make it legible for the examiners. I don’t need to imitate the printed script entirely."

"Ha, excuses," Luo Chen replied dismissively.

Zong Wenxiu, known for his calm demeanor, remained unbothered. However, his younger brother, Zong Jincheng, couldn’t stand the insult and stood beside him, mirroring Luo Chen’s every scoff and snort.

Luo Chen snorted, and Zong Jincheng snorted louder. Luo Chen scoffed, and Zong Jincheng scoffed even more audibly.

Xu Wan couldn’t bear to watch this childish back-and-forth.

But Zong Wenxiu found it endearing. He understood that this was his brother’s way of standing up for him, and he appreciated it.

Soon, students from outside the courtyard rushed back, breathless and astonished. "Zong Wenxiu is amazing! How could he even recite the *Red Cliff Ode* from memory? We in the twelve-year-old class haven’t even studied that, and Luo Chen’s ten-year-old class definitely hasn’t!"

"Seeing is believing. The Child Prodigy Class exam is insane—so many questions we’ve never even touched. Yet Zong Wenxiu answered them so well. It’s terrifying!"

"Luo Chen didn’t do well at all. While he answered most of the questions perfectly, there were several blanks left. It’s only natural he didn’t make it into the Child Prodigy Class. The examiners graded fairly."

The students chattered away, concluding that there had been no foul play in the exam. Luo Chen refused to believe it. He snatched Zong Wenxiu’s handwriting sample and stormed outside to verify the results himself.

Zong Jincheng, quick on his feet, grabbed Luo Chen’s writing sample and hid it behind his back, clutching it tightly. He whispered to his brother, "I’ll keep this safe in case he tries to destroy it later."

Still ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‍feeling uneasy, he took a step back and handed it to the person he trusted most.

The silent guard: "..."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Well, at least he wasn’t out there picking fights.

This was something Xu Wan had warned him about earlier. Without keeping the handwriting sample, Luo Chen could easily deny that his exam paper had ever been there, as the handwriting of Hanlin North Academy students was nearly identical.

But now, with the evidence in hand, Luo Chen had no way to weasel out of it.

Sure enough, Luo Chen returned soon after, his face dark. His first glance was toward the table where his handwriting sample had been, only to find it missing.

Zong Jincheng stuck out his tongue mockingly. "Your handwriting is safe with me. No chance of you backing out now. Admit your loss and get out of Qingbo Academy!"

When Luo Chen had written the bet with Zong Wenxiu, he had arrogantly included the word "leave" in the agreement. Now, that same word was being thrown back at him. Enraged, he rolled up his sleeves and shouted, "Who do you think you’re talking to?"

Zong Jincheng smirked arrogantly. "You, of course. The bet is right here in writing. If you don’t leave, you’re just a sore loser, a shameless coward!"

"You! You insolent brat! How dare you speak to me like that!" Luo Chen, used to throwing his weight around, lunged forward, but the teachers quickly restrained him.

Zong Jincheng made a face and shook his head, taunting, "You can’t do anything now. No place for your tantrums here. Oh, I see the courtyard hasn’t been cleaned today. Why don’t you roll around and vent your frustration?"

"Zong Jincheng!!" Luo Chen’s eyes burned with rage as he struggled against the hands holding him back. "I’ll kill you!!"

Zong Jincheng, having fired his verbal shots, quickly hid behind the silent guard, sticking out his head to provoke, "Come and get me!"

The silent guard: "..."

Master, I’m exhausted—mentally exhausted.

"I’ll kill you! I’ll tear you apart!" Luo Chen’s eyes were bloodshot as he struggled, but he was held firmly in place.

Finally, the academy head stepped in to mediate. "Enough, enough. Let’s end this farce here. Zong Wenxiu, you’ve been admitted to the Child Prodigy Class. Remember to bring your tuition in three days. The fees for the Child Prodigy Class are higher than the regular classes. You’re aware of that, right?"

Zong Wenxiu nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Headmaster. I’ll bring the tuition on time."

"Good, good." The headmaster smiled at him before turning sternly to Luo Chen. "As for you, Luo Chen, according to your bet with Zong Wenxiu, you must leave Qingbo Academy. Considering you’ve only been here a few days and are the son of the Great General of Pacifying the West, I’ll have your tuition refunded in full."

Luo Chen glared, his eyes red. "You old hypocrite! Who needs your charity? This dump of an academy—I never wanted to come here in the first place! If it weren’t for Qin Ye, I wouldn’t have even glanced at this place! Just wait. Hanlin North Academy will crush Qingbo Academy into oblivion!"

The headmaster nodded humbly. "Then I look forward to your clash with Qin Ye. May your counterattack be successful."

The students burst into laughter.

"Hahahahaha! ‘May your counterattack be successful’? Hanlin North Academy has lost every time they’ve faced Qin Ye!"

"This is too funny. The headmaster’s got jokes. I almost felt bad for Luo Chen earlier, but now I see he’s just getting what he deserves. How dare he think he can crush our academy? Their entire North Academy is no match for Qin Ye. What’s there to boast about?"

"Qin Ye is our undefeated exam god, the academy’s legend, the future top scholar without a doubt. Hanlin North Academy should just accept that they won’t produce a top scholar next year either!"

"Exactly! I’ll wave Qin Ye’s banner high. No one can match Qin Ye’s excellence!"

Qin Ye’s streak of victories against Hanlin North Academy had long since elevated him to godlike status in the hearts of the students. Any challenger to Qin Ye was seen as a joke.

Not only did Luo Chen storm off in a rage, but Zong Jincheng, standing nearby in his martial attire, was also seething. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stay calm. "Brother, I can’t hold back much longer. I want to beat them all up."

Zong Wenxiu, only now noticing his brother’s state, saw that even though no flames were literally coming out of his head, it felt like his entire being was burning with anger.

Zong Wenxiu quickly grabbed him. "Jincheng, calm down!"

Was he… feeling stung by Qin Ye’s excellence again?

Zong Jincheng’s fists cracked audibly as he ground his teeth in envy. "Yes, I need to calm down. I can’t take on all of them. But Qin Ye—that cold, heartless, detestable Qin Ye—how dare he be so adored by everyone? That scoundrel! I want to punch him so badly!"