Headless Immortal

Chapter 54 White Deer Cave Academy

Welcoming the sunrise and bidding farewell to the sunset.

As dusk fell, the silhouette of Bailu Academy could be seen.

Originally, according to the planned route and time, they should have traveled for another day. However, in order to avoid any further mistakes along the way, Zhu Xianzhen increased the speed and rushed the remaining journey together.

We finally arrived at the academy before nightfall.

The academy has a double-eaved gate, with green tiles and white walls stretching deep into the ground.

A dry, warm breeze carries the fresh scent of woody leaves.

The maple leaves on the distant mountains remained vibrant even after the sun had completely set.

Bailudong is not located inside a cave.

Because of its low-lying location surrounded by mountains, it is called a cave.

The accompanying master and the deans, hall masters, professors, instructors, dormitory heads, and supervisors of the academy paid their respects.

The five deans and six stewards were all present, waiting early on the bluestone path in front of the academy.

The mountain chief wore a dark blue robe, his hair was tied in a bun, and his beard and hair were all white, yet he showed no signs of old age.

His long, thin face was framed by two prominent white eyebrows that framed a pair of elegant, phoenix-shaped eyes. There was no flattery or respect in his expression; instead, there was a strong sense of disdain mixed with the joy of reuniting with an old friend.

"Brother Giant Deer."

Zhu Xianzhen stepped forward, took Li Julu's arm, and said happily, "It's been many years since we last met, but you still look as dashing as ever!"

"Brother, you are not old either."

Headmaster Li Julu patted Zhu Xianzhen's arm with emotion.

"please."

"please!"

The two walked hand in hand, chatting and laughing as they entered the academy.

It's obvious that such a grand display couldn't possibly be for welcoming students who donated money to get into university.

The fact that the five deans and all the hall masters and deacons clasped their hands in a salute was enough to show that this purple-bearded old man was of noble status. Judging from his demeanor and conduct, one could almost guess that he was a famous high-ranking official in the imperial court.

The deans left together with the headmaster.

The headmaster and the deacons dispersed, leaving two deacons to lead them into the academy.

“That must be Master Bailu.” Cheng Yan’s tone was full of reverence: “I heard that the imperial court has invited Master Bailu to come out of seclusion several times, promising him high-ranking official positions and generous salaries, but he remains unmoved and focuses on teaching. It is truly… that makes people yearn to be his disciples and listen to his lectures.”

"Dude, save your breath."

Zhou Changcai chuckled and said, "If it weren't for the fact that we benefited from this, we wouldn't have been able to see it at all."

Wu Agui rubbed his hands together and fantasized: "I've heard that daughters of noble families often dress up as men to study at the academy. If I could find a marriage partner with one of them, I could rise to the top without fear of falling in love."

"Ah."

“Brother Wu, this place is not like Meilan. Anyone with maids or female relatives around them is a noble person whom we cannot afford to associate with. If you want to die, don’t drag us brothers down with you.”

Zhou Changcai stepped aside and waved his sleeve as if to tell Wu Agui to stay away from him.

He's not a lecherous lunatic; he understands perfectly well that his family sent him here to gain prestige, not to cause trouble.

Local gentry and wealthy people like them, with a little money, would not have been able to study here if the academy hadn't planned to open a school in Meilan.

Those who could study at the academy were people from small towns whom no one dared to mess with.

Lü He remained silent and did not express his opinion, but his eyes also held longing and anticipation.

Who wouldn't want to receive guidance from a great Confucian scholar?

After a long march, everyone was exhausted and weary. After a quick meal, they prepared to go to bed under the arrangement of the academy's stewards.

There were no superior rooms or single rooms, only shared sleeping quarters, with four people living together.

Zhou Changcai and Wu Agui immediately frowned and hurriedly asked the steward who was leading the way, "Why aren't there any private rooms?"

The steward, a rather calm-looking middle-aged man, was not surprised by the shouting and said with a smile, "If you want to sleep in a side room or a superior room, you either have to pay money or rank at the top in the academy's monthly exams."

"How much silver do you need?"

"Thirty taels per month."

"what?!"

"I wonder what ranking is considered top-notch?"

The deacon stroked his beard and nodded, saying, "It should be at least in the top thirty." Cheng Yan chimed in, "That's alright."

The deacon smiled and looked at Cheng Yan: "Do you know how many students the academy has?"

The crowd shook their heads.

"More than 500 students, most of whom had studied for three years and passed the three-year major examination before entering the academy."

As the pageboy prepared to make a bed for their young master, the steward said indifferently, "The pageboy and servants have other places to stay and do not live with the students."

"Neither raccoons nor rats will do."

What else does Cheng Yan want to say?

The academy steward had already had someone bring out two wooden cages, one large and one small, and put the black cat and the mouse inside.

Preparing in advance seems to be a habit.

There was really no way for the crowd to argue further, so they had no choice but to abide by the academy's rules.

……

"Send it to the animal hospital."

"Yes."

Two servants each carried a cage and walked toward the livestock shed.

The remaining people were made other arrangements by the deacon.

Upon entering the livestock yard, the stench of urine and feces mixed with stale food assaulted the senses. Although late autumn should have been relatively cool, the temperature inside the yard was unusually high. Every breath seemed to be veiled by a layer of unpleasant, damp water, forcing one to hold their breath.

The two servants quickly covered their mouths and noses with their sleeves.

Feathers from chickens, ducks, and geese were scattered all over the ground, and the barking of dogs and meowing of cats rose and fell.

The birds in the cage chirped and chattered, the python in the cage slowly moved its body, sounds rippled in the pool, and turtles on the shore could be vaguely seen entering the water, while fat goldfish surfaced to breathe.

The croaking of frogs mingled with the chirping of crickets and the rustling of mice.

The gecko and the lizard raised their heads.

A bat hangs upside down in a cage on the roof beam, its bright red eyes wide open.

"Just hang it there."

The handyman quickly found an empty spot for the cat cage and the mouse cage.

"Let's go, let's go, I really can't hold it in anymore."

"..."

The two left, grumbling and cursing.

The animal husbandry college is really not a place for humans to stay. Most of the animals there are raised by students, and since they can't really be thrown away, they are simply kept together.

As for why the students aren't allowed to support themselves, it's because they're worried that the students will become distracted by frivolous pursuits and forget that the academy is a place for learning and practicing martial arts.

"Squeak!"

When Grey Baby arrived in the unfamiliar environment, he was so frightened that he curled up into a ball and screamed in panic.

It bumped against the cage a few times but didn't get out.

The old cat saw the two servants fiddling with the cage. The lock was easy to open from the outside but difficult from the inside, but that didn't stump him.

Lu Xun stretched out his claws through the gap, and with a whoosh, the sharp claws sprang out and hooked onto the interlocking lock formed by the mechanism. With a gentle push, the cage's mechanism lock clicked open.

The old cat jumped out of the cage and swapped its head with that of the Five-Tong Mountain Lord.

Wu Tong Lu Xunfu appeared.

The animal pens were deathly silent.

Not a single insect dared to make a sound.

But the urine smell was even stronger.

Many small animals shrink into a corner in fear when they smell the scent of the Wutongshan King.

Lu Xun certainly didn't intend to scare the captive animals. He only appeared in the guise of Wutong Mountain Lord because he noticed that Hui Bao was constantly frightened.

He initially intended to use the "Summoning the General" spell directly on Grey Treasure, but after careful consideration, he thought, "Why don't I test it on an animal first?"

Forging sentient clay sculptures is merely a secondary skill; the most powerful ability is to conjure living beings.

(End of this chapter)