From a slave to the Great Qian Martial Saint

"Isn't that Chen Busheng? He's running to the Martial Arts Pavilion early in the morning. He's quite diligent."

"Diligent? Did you see what he was holding in his arms?"

"Isn't it a military treatise?"

"Haha, that's not a military treatise, it's a mathematical manual!"

"The Book of Arithmetic?"

"First, I was reprimanded by the recruited students for a month, then I offended the recommended students by cheating on the autumn exam, and now I can't even touch the wooden dummy. I might as well give up and become obsessed with arithmetic, that unorthodox path."

"Heh, this guy's done for."

……

Early in the morning, Chen Shi, carrying the arithmetic manual he had borrowed earlier, strode towards the Martial Arts Pavilion with a serious expression.

arithmetic!

The key to deciphering the Eight Trigrams Formation is actually arithmetic!

It's not just the "Square Field" chapter of "Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art"; all the mathematical classics borrowed from the Wujing Pavilion, including "Sea Mirror of Circle Measurement," "Jade Mirror of the Four Elements," and "Zhuishu," contain passages related to the Eight Trigrams Formation.

Chen Shi had a vague premonition that as long as he found all the connections and "calculated" them, he should be able to unlock the mystery of the Eight Trigrams Formation.

"I'm so stupid!"

Upon learning this, Chen Shi felt an urge to slap himself twice.

Previously, in the cave of "Flying Dragon Forest", there were three arithmetic problems. Only by solving them could you obtain the Eight Trigrams Formation.

Isn't this already a very obvious hint?

If the Eight Trigrams Formation has nothing to do with arithmetic, why test arithmetic ability?

In fact, whether it is a military formation or a magic formation that borrows the power of heaven and earth, many of its principles are actually related to arithmetic.

Chen Shi was able to see the basic usage of the Eight Trigrams Formation and thus solve the Chilong Cave formation because he had some basic arithmetic skills.

He had completely overlooked such crucial information. Had he not discovered it by chance, he probably would have continued to stubbornly run headlong into the wall like a bull.

"What about other mathematical scriptures?"

Upon entering the Martial Arts Pavilion, Chen Shi eagerly inquired.

He had read all of these mathematical classics, and there were places in each of them that matched the Eight Trigrams Formation.

But that's not enough.

Like a jigsaw puzzle, there are still pieces to be found; these alone are not enough to decipher the Eight Trigrams Formation.

Zhuge Liang was fond of arithmetic, but given his abilities, there was no need for him to collect these basic mathematical texts. He placed them in the Military Classics Pavilion as the key to unlocking the Eight Trigrams Formation.

Therefore, Chen Shi was certain that the Wujing Pavilion must contain other mathematical texts.

"That's all."

The old man in gray was taken aback. He had only read a few arithmetic manuals. Why was Chen Shi in such a hurry?

Then, coming to her senses, she pointed to the things in Chen Shi's arms.

"All the arithmetic classics collected in the Wujing Pavilion are now in your possession."

"How is that possible!"

Chen Shi stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief.

"You must be mistaken! There must be other divination scriptures; perhaps someone else borrowed them!"

"Hehe, apart from you and Nangong girl, no one else is even bothered to look through it, let alone borrow it."

"Yes! Nangong Caiyun, wasn't she borrowed?"

"She did borrow it, but she returned it all a long time ago."

The old man in gray shook his head, his face full of certainty.

"What's going on...?"

Chen Shi frowned deeply, his expression extremely grave.

The old man in gray was a guard at the Martial Arts Pavilion and had been there for at least a decade. He wouldn't make a mistake on such a small matter.

But Chen Shi's speculation should also be correct.

If that's the case, then what happened?

"You're not talking about those lost mathematical scriptures, are you?"

Just as Chen Shi was completely baffled, the old man in gray suddenly said something.

"Lost?"

The city stared wide-eyed, suddenly realizing what was happening.

Yes!

Zhuge Liang lived hundreds of years ago, and with the changing dynasties and the flames of war, the Zhechongyuan (a military academy) was closed several times.

Although we will try our best to preserve the original appearance of Zhuge Hall, it is perfectly normal for some things to be damaged, and the loss of some insignificant arithmetic classics is probably no one's concern.

It turned out to be the case.

"Sir, do you know which mathematical texts have been lost?"

"have no idea."

The old man in gray shook his head, his expression calm.

He was just a caretaker, responsible for cleaning and tidying up the bookshelves.

"Do you know anyone who knows... Never mind, I'll go ask myself!"

Since he didn't know the original complete list of mathematical classics, he certainly didn't know who did.

Before he could finish his sentence, Chen Shi turned and left.

If anyone in this military academy is most likely to know, it must be the chief priest!

The Chief of the Zhechongyuan (折冲院) is the highest-ranking official in the Zhechongyuan, equivalent to the "Director".

"Not here?"

When Chen Shi heard the messenger's reply in front of the main hall where the chief priest usually handled affairs, he frowned again.

What a coincidence!

"Where has the chief priest gone, and when will he return?"

"Well..."

The constable hesitated slightly, then smiled and said.

"Where the master has gone, how could he tell us? As for when he will return, we servants shouldn't ask."

"so."

Chen Shi nodded, his eyes fixed on the constable.

A moment later, he took out a one-hundred-tael silver note from his pocket and stuffed it into the hand of the constable.

"This is!"

The constable's eyes widened instantly, staring at Chen Shi in shock.

He works here and his monthly salary is only a few hundred coins; he has never seen so much money before.

"I just want to tell you the truth."

Chen Shi looked at the constable and said in a low voice.

"Well, actually..."

The constable looked around, gritted his teeth, and then whispered.

"The master is in the hall; he's the one who told me to say that."

"really."

Chen Shi gave a soft snort, his expression growing increasingly serious.

The chief priest wasn't absent; he simply didn't want to see him!

If I happen to be out of town, I can just wait, but if I'm deliberately avoiding him now, that's going to be troublesome.

Most importantly, Chen Shi didn't even know why the chief priest was avoiding him.

The other party is the Grand Master of the Imperial Academy, a fourth-rank official of the imperial court. Why should we avoid a mere student like him?

Chen Shi frowned for a while, then went to find someone.

At the No. 3 training ground of Class B, the recommended students were practicing their martial arts, with a female instructor standing beside them.

Just as she was feeling utterly bored, she suddenly saw Chen Shi walking towards her, and her expression immediately changed. She then turned her head away, silently repeating to herself, "I can't see her, I can't see her."

"Greetings, Instructor Qin!"

Chen Shi walked straight to Qin Zhuyue, gave her a slight bow, and smiled.

"you……"

Seeing that she had been discovered, Qin Zhuyue's face darkened, and she let out a cold snort.

"What are you doing here!"

"I have been at the Jiangnan Military Academy for a month and a half, and Instructor Qin has not come to see me. So I have no choice but to come and see Instructor Qin."

"Hmph, it's best if we don't run into each other unless it's absolutely necessary."

"Of course there is something."

"What is it?"

Qin Zhuyue was about to ask a question when she saw the candidates glaring angrily at her, so she immediately shut up.

Chen Shi's reputation is too bad now, too conspicuous!

"Let's go! Let's find another place!"

After saying this in a low voice, Qin Zhuyue quickly left.

Chen Shi smiled and followed.

A moment later, in a secluded grove of trees on the back of the mountain, Qin Zhuyue looked at Chen Shi with a wary expression.

"What are you trying to do!"

"Why are you so nervous? I mean no harm."

Chen Shi smiled and said directly.

"I just need you to find out a few things for me."