Chapter 59 Yanyuan Academy

The fine wine of the Yan family was a pleasure to drink, leaving no lingering hangover upon waking.

Awakened by his alarm clock, Shuisheng energetically washed up, changed his clothes, and packed his belongings. Today was his very first day heading to the "Yanyuan Academy."

Stepping out the door, he happened to run into Yan Ning, who had driven over to pick him up.

"Captain Yan, there's no need to drive me. I can just walk over myself," Shuisheng said.

"How can we do that?" Yan Ning replied. "Both the eldest miss and the young master gave strict instructions to ensure your safety."

"The Yanyuan Academy is located within the Yan family estate; the Zhang family wouldn't dare come here to stir up trouble. Capturing Mei Yulang would be even more out of the question," Shuisheng reasoned. "As you've said, even your level-8 You Elder couldn't catch him, so there's certainly no way a level-5 like you could manage it. Since that's the case, why bother with futile efforts?"

Yan Ning: ......

Was it because his status had been cemented at last night's banquet that he spoke so bluntly now...?

"Really, there's no need for a ride," Shuisheng said earnestly. "Once you step out of the north gate of Courtyard No. 3 and cross the street, you're right at the main courtyard of the Yan family head's Nanhuixuan. The academy is right inside. It's just a few steps away; please don't make me look more important than the actual students of the Yan family."

Yan Ning had no choice but to drop the matter. After all, within the Yan family's territory, there shouldn't be any real danger. Just as Shuisheng pointed out, if Mei Yulang were to actually show up along the way to the academy, he wouldn't be able to detain him anyway—it would indeed be a waste of effort.

Besides, the eldest miss and the others had mentioned maintaining a relaxed exterior while remaining tightly guarded on the inside. Perhaps Mei Yulang would only suddenly reveal himself precisely when he saw no one guarding Shuisheng's side.

Shuisheng walked out through the north gate of Courtyard No. 3. With Yan Ning's help earlier, his facial recognition data had already been entered into the Yan family's security system, allowing him to pass through smoothly. Crossing the bustling street, he entered the Yanhuixuan directly opposite the block. The gates of Yanhuixuan were guarded even more stringently, with a full four guards stationed at a single entrance. After scanning and verifying his identity at the gate of Yanhuixuan, he passed through without a hitch as well.

The architectural layout of Yanhuixuan followed a courtyard-within-a-courtyard style. Within long and towering walls, numerous smaller courtyards were scattered about. The Yanyuan Academy was one of them.

The academy was separated from the outside world by a red wall, two meters high, which blocked any clear view of the interior from close up. From a distance or from an elevated vantage point, however, one could see that the interior boasted a beautiful landscape garden design.

The main gate was built in the ancient architectural style of the Donghua State, featuring upturned eaves and corners where little bells jingled in the breeze.

*Jingle, jingle.*

Shuisheng stood there for a long time, gazing up at the plaque reading "Yanyuan Academy," momentarily lost in thought.

With his hands shoved into his pockets, he walked silently beneath the perimeter wall of Yanyuan Academy.

A row of tall willow trees was planted outside the wall, their long branches swaying in the sunlight and the gentle breeze.

Ahead, beneath the trees, stood a stone bench intended for resting. He stored all the items from his hands into the space of his boundary stone ring and lay down on the stone bench.

The sunlight was warm. The long willow branches swayed, brushing gently against his body and face.

To think he was still a kid yearning to return to school and step onto a campus!

With such thoughts in mind, he drifted close to dreamland.

A pure and lovely face appeared above him, blocking out the sunlight.

"Shuisheng?" Yan Ruoxun asked, "What are you doing here?"

This was the usual time for attending classes. She hadn't known beforehand that Shuisheng would be enrolling today. Shuisheng himself had only found out at the banquet the previous night, and being somewhat intoxicated afterward, he hadn't sent her a message.

"The family head told me to report to the academy today, for the intermediate class. Dean Yan Wentong approved it yesterday," Shuisheng said.

"That's wonderful!" The exquisite little beauty cheered under the sunlight. "The intermediate class? Then we're classmates!"

She took Shuisheng by the hand. "Come on! I'll take you to report at the administrative office!"

The young girl's hand was slender, soft, and slightly cool to the touch. Shuisheng, who had almost never held hands with a girl before, felt a stir in his heart and a brief flash of embarrassment before quickly regaining his composure.

Led by her, he walked through the gate and proceeded along a path paved with bluestone slabs.

The architectural layout and style of the buildings inside the academy were largely similar to the villa area where the main branch of the Yan family lived, adopting ancient Donghua State garden architecture. There were rockeries, flowing streams, and pavilions.

Entering the gate and passing through a covered corridor over a pond, a building resembling a small gymnasium appeared on the front left. From afar, various kinds of training shouts could be heard echoing from within.

"That's the Martial Training Hall, where students undergo practical combat training," Yan Ruoxun introduced.

Along the way, twos and threes of academy students could be seen walking on the school paths. Their numbers were small.

Moving further ahead, there were several ancient wooden buildings on both sides, from which faint sounds of lecturing drifted out.

"Those are the classrooms. There are three in total, one for each grade: junior, intermediate, and senior," Yan Ruoxun explained. She pointed to a square, ancient-style building with green tiles and white walls at the end of the path ahead. "That's the administration building. Behind it is the Martial Library, which holds a vast, vast amount of cultivation manuals. I bet once you go inside, you won't want to come out."

"Surely not," Shuisheng said with a dry laugh.

"Not really? You think I don't know you?" Yan Ruoxun smiled.

They arrived in front of the administration building to find the white-haired Dean Yan Wentong, whom they had met at the banquet, already standing by the entrance, nodding with a smile.

"You're here." The old dean turned around. "Accompany me to register for enrollment."

Since Yan Ruoxun still had classes to attend, she left first.

Shuisheng followed the old dean first to the logistics office to collect two sets of blue-gray training uniforms and a bag of cultivation texts for the intermediate class, and then headed to the academic affairs office for enrollment registration.

"You're a level-2 water-attribute Esper?" asked the middle-aged bald teacher at the academic affairs office. "Where is your Esper certificate?"

"I haven't gotten one," Shuisheng said.

The Esper certificate was a form of identification issued by the Donghua State Esper Affairs Management Department. It contained information such as the holder's name, cultivation system, esper ability level, home address, and date of issue. Every legitimate Esper was required to obtain this certificate, which was usually processed at the municipal-level Esper Affairs Bureau.

When Esper affairs such as processing corresponding property deeds, enrollment proofs, marriage certificates, or car purchase proofs were required, this certificate was mandatory. When traveling on large public transportation, this certificate had to be presented alongside an ID card. For regular formal institutions hiring Esper employees, this certificate was one of the required verification documents.

Additionally, holding this certificate allowed free rides on public transportation and free admission to public tourist attractions, making it quite practical.

"Why haven't you gotten one?" The bald teacher found this rather incomprehensible.

"When I first applied for this certificate—back when I was a level-1 Esper—I needed to bring my household register and ID card to the Fengling City Esper Affairs Bureau..." Shuisheng's voice lowered. "I don't have a household register... and I don't have an ID card either..."

"You don't have a household register or an ID card?" The bald teacher looked at him in astonishment, then turned his gaze toward the elderly Dean Yan Wentong. His expression clearly conveyed: How could the academy possibly take in a child with such an unverified background?

Admissions at Yanyuan Academy had always been extremely strict. Aside from the descendants of the eldest, second, and third branches, everyone else had to be children of core members above the rank of family managers, and those with poor aptitudes were not accepted at all. Now, why had the dean brought back a child of unknown origin?

This bald teacher had not attended the Yan family banquet the previous day, nor was he typically sensitive to affairs outside his window, so he had no knowledge of Shuisheng's background.

"Teacher Jiang, just go ahead and process it," the old dean said helplessly. "This is the family head's will."

"Oh, the family head's will," the bald teacher said, shaking his head. "Even so... without the verification of an Esper certificate, I cannot properly assess your entrance strength. Grading, and teachers being unable to accurately gauge your true strength during lessons, could easily lead to mistakes and accidents..."

"That's simple. Just have him take an on-the-spot test right now and record his strength. As for the Esper certificate, there's no rush to get it later," the old dean said.