Chapter 19: A Newcomer at Nan Mountain - Young Noble Be Monster Slaying

**Chapter 19: A Newcomer at Nan Mountain** Compared to the bustling regions in the north and southeast, the southwestern area where the Shushan Mountains are located is somewhat isolated, with Confucianism and Taoism not being particularly prevalent. Among the sparse number of notable academies in the vast southwest land, Nan Mountain Academy is one of them. Although it has never produced a top scholar or a runner-up in the imperial examinations, it did manage to reach the third place—Tanhua. Unfortunately, that scholar ended up in jail, and Nan Mountain Academy lost a bit of its glory. However, it remained the top choice for the children of officials and noble families in Yan Jiao City. Today, Nan Mountain Academy welcomed a new student. "Fellow classmates, let's welcome Chu Liang to our Gengzi class." The old teacher stood at the front, raising his hand as a youth in elegant attire walked in from outside the door, drawing all eyes in the classroom. His features were clear and bright, his demeanor refined and unearthly. The same scholarly robe adorned him, yet it seemed to carry an extraordinary aura compared to others. Upon the teacher's signal, he stepped into the classroom and nodded slightly towards the students below. A burly, big-eyed youth with bronze skin and a green garb followed him, carrying a heavy book basket, his expression somewhat puffed up. "Chu Liang, find an empty spot and take a seat, we’ll start today’s lesson shortly," the teacher said, introducing him before continuing with the class. "Yes." Chu Liang bowed to the teacher and proceeded forward. The class consisted of about twenty male and ten female students, each with their own desk. After surveying the room, he chose an empty seat at the back, next to a rather absent-minded Li Jue. As he was about to sit down, the teacher called out, "Bookboy, don't come in. Wait outside. If you're interested in studying, listen from the window quietly without causing disturbance." "Okay…" The bookboy following Chu Liang halted, set down the book basket, and sullenly exited the classroom. The bookboy, none other than Lin Bei, headed outside and stood by the window, glancing inside and locking eyes with Chu Liang, still somewhat disgruntled. “Why is it that when both of us come to the academy, you're the student, and I’m the bookboy?” His eyes silently conveyed his frustration. “It’s probably a matter of bearing. Roles don't define worth,” Chu Liang replied with a glance. “I don't understand,” Lin Bei remained unconvinced. “Alright, being a bookboy makes it easier to gather information. Why not join your group and see if you can uncover any clues about this mysterious case?” Chu Liang responded. Only then did Lin Bei give up, turning to mingle with his own circle of bookboys. The students at Nan Mountain Academy were all local elites or children of government officials, naturally accompanied by their servants. Of course, not all were allowed inside; there was a designated area outside for them to rest, and they could listen to the lessons from outside the windows as long as they stayed quiet and caused no disruptions. The class at Nan Mountain Academy extended for quite a long period. After the first lesson, many students appeared drowsy, except for Chu Liang who remained keenly attentive. He was once a top student and had missed the classroom environment. His former teacher used to say that he was just distracted. If he could focus on his studies, no one could surpass him, and his accomplishments would be limitless. Unfortunately, his interests were too diverse then; from various sports to board games, he excelled in everything he endeavored. Thus, he only managed to rank third in the entire province. Beside him, Li Jue seemed to have rested poorly the previous night, falling asleep early in class. Not worried for him, Chu Liang scanned the room, looking to engage someone in conversation. Just then, a freckled girl sitting on his left caught his eye, her eyes sparkling with curiosity as she asked, “Chu Liang, where are you from?” People always tend to be curious about good-looking transfer students. "I'm from Xingzhou City," Chu Liang replied with the information he had prepared ahead of time. “Xingzhou City? Then why come to Nan Mountain Academy?" "For family reasons, we all moved here, so I had to come as well," Chu Liang said with a smile. “Hehe, Nan Mountain Academy is great, it’s one of the best in the southwest,” the girl chuckled, seeing him smile. "I thought that too before coming here, perhaps it's a good choice," Chu Liang said, appearing slightly worried, "But now that I'm here, I'm suddenly a bit concerned..." “Concerned about what?” The girl quickly inquired. "I heard... the academy is haunted lately?" Chu Liang whispered. "Ah..." The girl's expression turned serious; she glanced around and then lowered her voice, "There is something like that, but you don't need to be scared. It's only those bad guys who..." “Li Chunxia!” Suddenly, a scolding voice interrupted. The girl talking to Chu Liang flinched and quickly shook her head, not daring to speak further. It turned out a muscular, tough-looking young man in the front had stood up, glaring at them with evident irritation over their hushed discussion, having caught it from several rows away. The burly youth pointed at Chu Liang, saying, "New guy, if you want to study properly here, stop poking around, got it?" Faced with the menacing warning, Chu Liang smiled and nodded, not speaking and seeming unfazed. At that moment, a gentle voice came from behind, “Yan Xiaohu, what are you getting aggressive about again?” “Miss Song…” The burly youth named Yan Xiaohu immediately complied upon hearing the voice, turning and sitting down. A woman in a simple blue dress overlaying a green vest walked in. She was tall and slender, bordering on delicate. Her hair was simply tied up, exposing her ears like white jade and her alabaster neck, her skin smooth as cream, with clean, graceful features and deep bright eyes. Despite her stern expression and deliberately mature demeanor, it was obvious she was quite young. "Is that also a teacher here?" Chu Liang was surprised. The woman looked far too young. Miss Song came in from the door, gently nudged Li Jue awake, then walked slowly to the podium, softly saying, “Let’s begin the class.” Li Jue, upon seeing the young female teacher, unusually perked up. Compared to the previous teacher, who strained his voice to awaken the students but failed, her gentle and soothing tone, almost a whisper, invigorated everyone, regardless of gender—no one dozed off. “So we have a new student today?” Miss Song looked at Chu Liang and began, “Let me introduce myself. I am Song Qingyi, the poetry and literature teacher at Nan Mountain Academy.” Caught in her gentle gaze, Chu Liang felt a strange sensation. Despite her youth, Song Qingyi had a profound skill, delivering a lesson that was both engaging and easy to understand. After class, it was lunchtime. On the way to lunch, Chu Liang finally caught up with Lin Bei. “How’s the investigation?” Chu Liang asked. “I found out everything,” Lin Bei excitedly replied. “That Miss Song is named Song Qingyi, she’s from Jiangnan, also new to Nan Mountain Academy just a few days ago, around eighteen or nineteen years old, similar to us… and unmarried!” Chu Liang: "?"