A little over ten minutes later, Zhao Yuan finished reading and translating the *Treasure of Life and Form Theory*.
At the lecturer's podium, Ma Hanqing said nothing. His brow was tightly furrowed as he sank into deep thought.
He was mulling over the different punctuations and translations Zhao Yuan had provided.
This new content had given him a fresh wave of insight. He even felt that he might find the answers to questions that had plagued him for years within it!
Unfortunately, Cao Han was oblivious to Ma Hanqing's inner thoughts. He assumed Ma Hanqing was tallying up Zhao Yuan's mistakes. He quickly grabbed his notes and hurried up to the podium. "Teacher Ma, here. I've recorded all the places he got it wrong."
Ma Hanqing took the notebook and glanced at it. When he saw that it contained a detailed record of all the different ways Zhao Yuan had punctuated and translated the text, his eyes lit up. His hands trembled with excitement as he asked, "You recorded all the different parts?"
He automatically ignored the word "wrong" in Cao Han's sentence.
"Yes, I recorded everything," Cao Han nodded.
Satisfied, Ma Hanqing patted Cao Han on the shoulder twice and praised him, "Good. Well done, exceptionally well done!"
Cao Han was smug beyond belief, a grin plastered across his face. He shot Zhao Yuan a vicious glare and mouthed a phrase, the meaning clear: "You're finished, kid!"
Zhao Yuan just chuckled, completely ignoring the threat.
'Hmph, still pretending. Let's see if you can still act so calm when Teacher Ma blows up,' Cao Han muttered to himself, grinding his teeth.
However, he waited and waited, but Ma Hanqing never erupted. Turning to look, he saw the teacher staring down at the notes, brow furrowed and expression serious.
Anyone familiar with Ma Hanqing would know this was his look of intense concentration, of deep study. But Cao Han didn't know that. He only saw Ma Hanqing's expression grow more and more stern, more and more grave, and his imagination ran wild. 'Zhao Yuan made so many mistakes, why isn't Teacher Ma yelling at him already? Ah... I get it! He's building up his anger! It looks like Zhao Yuan really pissed him off this time. Why else would he be holding back, preparing a big move?'
BANG!
Suddenly, Ma Hanqing slammed his hand on the podium, startling everyone.
Cao Han was startled too, but he quickly became gleeful. 'Here it comes! Teacher Ma is about to explode! Look at him, he's brimming with rage. Zhao Yuan is done for!'
However, events didn't unfold quite as he had imagined.
After slamming the desk, Ma Hanqing didn't scold Zhao Yuan. Instead, he grabbed Cao Han's notebook and strode out of the classroom.
"What's going on now?" Everyone was stunned, completely baffled by Ma Hanqing's actions.
Cao Han was dumbfounded.
'I thought you were preparing a big move? What kind of big move is turning around and leaving?'
He quickly recovered and pointed at Zhao Yuan. "See? You didn't pay attention in class and then lied about it, and you've driven Teacher Ma away in a fury!"
As if to prove Cao Han right, Ma Hanqing, who had already run out of the classroom, suddenly doubled back and shouted, "Zhao Yuan, you stay right here in this classroom! Don't you go anywhere! I'm going to get people!"
With that, Ma Hanqing spun around and took off running again, his speed utterly unlike that of a man in his forties—he was more like a young lad.
Back in the classroom, everyone was stunned by the words Ma Hanqing had left them with. After a moment of silence, a wave of heated discussion erupted.
"What does Teacher Ma mean?"
"That didn't sound right, did it?"
"He's not going to the school administration to get Zhao Yuan expelled, is he?!"
It was no wonder the students misunderstood. Ma Hanqing's actions and words were just too easily misinterpreted. Plus, he was normally such a serious person; in his excitement, his expression looked ferocious, which only further convinced the students that he had lost his temper and was going to find people to deal with Zhao Yuan.
Cao Han thought so too, and he was secretly gloating.
'Teacher Ma is such a badass! I thought he'd just yell at Zhao Yuan a bit, but I never expected he'd go get him expelled! Awesome! Heh heh, Zhao Yuan, you're dumbstruck now, aren't you? Scared? It's too late!'
The three brothers from Dorm 301, however, were extremely worried. They gathered around Zhao Yuan and urged him in unison, "Third Brother, what are you spacing out for? Hurry up and go apologize to Teacher Ma."
Zhao Yuan chuckled, shaking his head. "Don't worry. I trust Teacher Ma wouldn't do something like that."
Compared to getting people to come fight him, Zhao Yuan was much more inclined to believe that Ma Hanqing had recognized the brilliance in his punctuation and translation and had run off to get other teachers to discuss and study it with him.
Cao Han overheard the Dorm 301 guys trying to persuade Zhao Yuan, so he hurried to the classroom door and blocked it with his arms outstretched. "Zhao Yuan, as long as I'm here, you're not getting away!"
The guys from Dorm 301 were furious when they saw this and were about to go deal with him, but Zhao Yuan stopped them. He said with a smile, "Don't worry, I never planned on leaving."
Cao Han's brow twitched. He snorted coldly, "You're facing disaster and you're still putting on an act, still able to smile. Let's see how you cry when Teacher Ma gets back!"
Ma Hanqing was gone for a good half an hour.
Shortly after the second class period began, a flurry of chaotic footsteps echoed from the hallway. Just by the sound of them, it was clear a large group was approaching.
Standing at the classroom door, Cao Han glanced outside and immediately shouted, "Teacher Ma, hurry! I kept Zhao Yuan here for you! I didn't let him run away."
"Well done!" Ma Hanqing's voice carried in from the hallway. Soon after, everyone saw him charge into the classroom with a dozen or so people, looking like a pack of hungry wolves.
The arriving group was aggressive and imposing, their eyes glowing red, looking for all the world like they were spoiling for a fight. But when everyone got a clear look at who they were, they were all stunned.
"Isn't that Professor Lu Bo?"
"Holy crap, isn't that Elder Qiu, the head of the Medical Ancient Texts Teaching and Research Group?!"
"Professor Liu Bo is here too!"
"It looks like they're all teachers and professors from the Medical Ancient Texts department, right? What is Teacher Ma doing?"
At that moment, everyone simultaneously began to doubt their earlier assumptions.