The cloth banner was crudely made, with a row of big characters on it: Master of all Skills, Know-all of Heaven and Earth, Number One Gentleman Under Heaven!
Immediately, cold sweat broke out on Mu Hanyan and the others: So... this is the true legacy of a calligraphy master!
The crooked handwriting could be overlooked, the broken and unclear ink strokes could also be overlooked, but the most terrifying thing was that typo in the small character.
"Well, isnât it great?" Ling Baobao said proudly.
"Hmm, yes, itâs great, but... isnât that small character a mistake?" Mu Hanyan really didnât want to dampen his spirits, so she said tactfully.
"A mistake? My master taught me like this before?" Ling Baobao squinted his eyes, carefully looking at the cloth banner, his face gradually turning a bit red, "Well...actually, itâs because ordinary people wouldnât understand it, so I deliberately wrote it this way. You know, when I left Xiaocang City, I didnât have much silver tael, and I relied on this sign to make some money along the way. Common folks are uneducated; if I didnât write it like this, who would understand? Donât you think so?"
While saying this, Ling Baobao quickly put away the cloth banner.
"Youâre right, that makes a lot of sense." Mu Hanyan and the others nodded numbly.
In the Holy Court Continent, there have been few wars or plagues in the past thousand years. Anyun Country is also peaceful and prosperous. Even the most remote and wild civilians would attend private schools for a few days, so how could they be uneducated? The truly uneducated person is probably Ling Baobao himself.
"Sigh, Iâm too lazy to explain to you. Anyway, my calligraphy achievements are a true legacy from a master. My eye power canât be wrong. Look at these four big characters of Longyan Academy, they are like a soaring phoenix and a traveling dragon, as well as like an ancient pine entwined, clearly written by a renowned master. Those strokes are vigorous and strong, like a treasure sword being drawn, with Sword Intent soaring to the sky... eh..." Ling Baobao was boasting, but suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
"Look, these four characters do contain Sword Intent. Iâm not talking nonsense, they really do." Ling Baobao said joyfully.
Mu Hanyan and Huayue had been listening to his bragging and hadnât had a chance to look closely. Now that they took a closer look, they found that the four large characters "Longyan Academy" were indeed like a traveling dragon. The strokes were either as restrained as a sword sheathed or as awe-inspiring as a sword pointing at the sky, indeed containing highly profound Sword Intent, leaving them all amazed.
"Ahem, ahem, didnât you know?" Tang Bufan coughed twice, asking as if a bit embarrassed.
"Know what?" Mu Hanyan asked.
"These four characters werenât written by one person, but by ten masters who founded Longyan Academy. Each character and stroke contains their lifetime comprehension of Sword Dao," Tang Bufan replied.
"How do you know?" Ling Baobao asked in surprise.
"Not only do I know, but everyone in the Capital knows, and many cultivators from other places also know," Tang Bufan explained.
Mu Hanyan finally understood why Tang Bufan felt embarrassed. Just as Ling Baobao was crying out joyfully as if he had found a treasure, and she and Huayue and several others were also amazed, some young swordsmen entering the academy gave them looks like they were idiots.
Upon reflection, Mu Hanyan realized she felt a bit foolish too. Something that everyone in the Capital knows, yet they were so surprised and shouting, it would be strange if they werenât seen as fools.
But this wasnât their fault. Mu Hanyan had lived in Heishi City for over a decade in a muddleheaded state and never thought sheâd one day enter Longyan Academy. Huayue and Zirong had also spent most of their lives in distant counties and likewise never thought about entering Longyan Academy. Who would care about such matters?
Because this fact is well-known in the Capital, no one bothered to mention it, so even Ling Zexian and other playboys forgot to tell him, leading to this blunder.
"Do these four characters have such a story? If one comprehends the Sword Intent within, wouldnât they reach the pinnacle instantly?" Ling Baobaoâs face was evidently thick-skinned, showing no embarrassment as he eagerly asked.
"Itâs not that easy," Tang Bufan shook his head and said. "Although Longyan Academy is mostly hidden within a barrier, it opens once every few years to allow outsiders to glimpse the academyâs splendor. At those times, numerous cultivators who are not destined to enter the academy come to comprehend the masterâs Sword Intent, but very few succeed.
I used to come here twice; each time, I stood here for a whole day and night without any gain. However, since itâs your first time, you might as well try, you might have an unexpected breakthrough."
"Okay, letâs give it a try too." Mu Hanyan, seeing that it was still early, decided not to rush into the academy.
Listening to Tang Bufan, Huayue and the others were intrigued and immediately stopped, holding their breaths and concentrating to comprehend the Sword Intent hidden in those four characters.
"Huh, a bunch of frogs at the bottom of a well, daring to comprehend the masterâs Sword Intent, unaware of the immensity of heaven and earth, all of you get lost to the side!" At this moment, a cold female voice came to their ears. The voice was sharp and arrogant, with disdain and mockery that was uncomfortable to hear.
Turning their heads, they saw three young swordsmen, two men and one woman. The three were about the same age, around sixteen or seventeen, wearing disciple sword robes from Holy Dragon Academy, with silver-lined and gold-trimmed edges, clearly of high status.
The speaking young girl was tall and coldly beautiful, her nostrils flaring with arrogance.
In the past, if someone spoke this rudely, Mu Hanyan might have reacted already, but having just shed the title of Capitalâs first playboy, she wasnât eager to gain the title of Longyan Academyâs first playboy, so she just glanced coldly at the other party without speaking.
"Mind your own business! The road doesnât belong to you, so if anyone should get lost, it should be you." Just because Mu Hanyan didnât speak, it didnât mean others wouldnât. Ling Baobao, with his head held high, retorted without showing weakness.
"How dare you be rude to the little senior sister!" The two young men held their sword hilts, shouting angrily.
"What do you want, a fight?" Ling Baobao also grabbed the hilt of his sword and, after thinking, added, "Take a good look, we have more people."
"A bunch of useless people, what use is there in numbers? Daring to be arrogant in front of me, Jiang Qiling, break his legs, letâs see if he still dares to be arrogant." The girl who called herself Jiang Qiling raised an eyebrow and ordered.
"Clang!", the two young men drew their longswords simultaneously.
Huayue, Zirong, and Jiang Yuzheâs faces darkened as they flicked their fingers, and their longswords responded in kind.
As Lady Muâs personal guards and gold medal thugs, the three were never pushovers. Seeing this girl speaking rudely and wanting to harm people over a disagreement, they were already a bit angry. Itâs just that Mu Hanyan hadnât spoken, so they refrained from acting, but if the other side wanted to harm someone, they wouldnât stand by idly.
The atmosphere was tense, and the situation was on the brink of erupting into a full-blown fight.
"Stop!" At this moment, Mu Hanyan spoke up.