Hui Lan was on her fifth pile of books and had been stacking them up with care.
There were a few books left that had not been stacked up. However, she had been spending her own little precious time on her own. The fatigue from before was as if all drained away.
The more Elder Yi looked at Hui Lan, the more his mood became gloomier. He looked at his hourglass that he had placed beside him, but he did not even get to use it. When he was about to flip his hourglass over, his lovely junior sister's owl-like eyes shot a deep glare at him.
...Aiya, she had also persuaded or more like forced him to not use it. Tch.
...Did she not think that he would not go hard on her daughter when she duels with him in the chess game?
Although Hui Lan might have looked like she was spending her time casually, it was just that she enjoyed it. As she enjoyed it, she went through the piles of books just as fast.
Soon, she had finally finished stacking up all the books into 7 different stacks of books ready to be placed back into the bookshelf.
Hui Lan could not help but place her hands on her waist as she looked at the stacks of books with a small frown. She had finally come to the hard part of this test...carrying them over to the bookshelves.
...Sigh, don't they have a helper around to put these books back ah? Instead, they had to bully her, tch.
Nevertheless, Hui Lan went to her first stack. After separating the first half of the stack of books, she then lifted them up.
Though she had reduced the amount of books, as she thought, it was still too heavy for this body. In the end, she could only put the books down and pick up three books in her hands.
Feng Furen looked at Hui Lan from the side and was observing whether or not Hui Lan was too tired or needed help. Without knowingly, her maternal instincts began to kick in even at the small little details.
Nevertheless, it was not a big task but just simply putting the books away. In one way, Elder Yi had also wanted Hui Lan to do an easy exercise before she needed to face the real thing.
However, upon placing three of the books on the bookshelf, her eyes were caught onto a plain-looking book, but the author of the book immediately caught her eyes.
She placed the books in their place first before quickly taking the plain-looking book out from the shelf.
It would not have caught her attention if it was not for the word…'Rui' on it.
While still standing on the ladder, Hui Lan began opening the book but to her surprise, there was nothing in the book.
…Ah?
She quickly flipped the book to the last page and there she found something that here hands could not help but shake.
...Welcome to the Rui Ren.
Hui Lan felt like screaming but quickly kept it in. This book was surely the Rui Ren's book.
...However, why on earth was it here!?
...The word of welcome...was it meant to mean here? Moreover, this book...there must be something written to it...it was just...probably hidden just like the other one.
Hui Lan looked around but there was no lamp for her to use at the moment. A slight sense of disappointment flashed over her eyes.
However, her eyes then caught attention to the Elder that was sipping his tea carefreely.
...In this case, she could make a deal with him.
After having set her mind, Hui Lan placed the book back and thought to herself that she would come back and get it after everything was done.
She then went down and began going through the rest of the stacks of books at a much faster pace than before. A goal was set and she was ready to head for it...
After some time, Hui Lan was able to finally finish her first task by Elder Yi and made her way down the stairs. A few drops of sweat that had flown down from the side of her face were now beginning to dry up. However, there was a new sense of determination in her eyes.
Hui Lan headed over to where Feng Furen and Elder Yi were sitting and stood before them with an upright back, "I'm done. Elder Yi, let's start the chess game shall we?"
"Ahem." Elder Yi looked at Hui Lan with a small frown before looking at his junior sister.
Hui Lan quickly spoke before Feng Furen was about to get up, "But before we start the game, if I win, will you answer this student's question?"
Elder Yi felt like he was being taken advantage of and simply did not like it. However, if he did not say yes, then it would look like he was bullying her.
Feng Furen slowly shook her head, "Is it that hard? Do you think that you would lose to her?"
Hearing his junior sister's provocation, he could only eat his defeat and promised, "Fine, if it is not something I am not allowed to say, then I will.
Feng Furen then got up to leave, but before leaving, she gave a gentle pat on Hui Lan's shoulders, "You can do this." The elder then took her leave and gave space for them to duel.
Whether Hui Lan won or did not win, it all depended on her own ability. However, from how Hui Lan had looked at her, Feng Furen could not help but smile.
...From where she was from, Hui Lan must have been an all rounder, huh?
...Let's just hope it would be enough for her to survive in this world.
...Today, everyone was told to only test her mind, but she still must grow her strength later on…nevertheless, there was still time and space for her to grow.
Feng Furen went inside the same place where Elder Zhang had gone. Once she was inside, she could see her Teacher preparing something in his hands.
Even when she first entered the hall, he did not even take his eyes from the white cloth in his hands and spoke, "So she has finished Yi's unfinished work, hm?"
Feng Furen could not help but smile when she heard her Teacher speak of her senior brother, "It seemed he wanted to take advantage of his chance that has been given to him to the utmost best."
"Hm, he has never really changed."
"That I can see." Feng Furen could not help but agree.
...It was just the past times…
Feng Furen slowly went to rest her back on the side of the table as she looked at the classroom where Teacher Zhang used to teach her and her fellow senior brothers and senior sister. It used to be just the four of them.
Before it was Teacher Zhang along with her master and her three senior brothers and senior sister. However, everything seemed to have changed when she arrived in this place...
Once again without looking up, Elder Zhang spoke, "How long are you planning to stay here?"
"I will leave to the borderline in 5 days time. Hui Lan will also leave to go to the palace and send us off with the rest of the Royal family."
"Hm, seems like a big deal…"
"Well, that son in law of mine prefers to make things big."
Teacher Zhang nodded before asking again, "Have you let Su Rong sort out everything for you?"
Feng Furen nodded without looking at her teacher and was staring at her own shoes, "Yes, teacher. By now, she would have probably sorted out everything in the palace for Hui Lan."
"Back then, why did you not bring your child here and only Su Rong and Su Jou?" Elder Zhang asked straightforwardly.
Feng Furen paused for a short moment before speaking in the end, "The Su couple wanted their daughter and son to be able to protect themselves, so I just helped them out. That was their last wish when they passed on in that battle, even their last words were about their children. But for my Hui Lan, she never seemed interested in these things..."
"Oh?"
Feng Furen slowly looked up to her teacher and spoke, "Hui Lan disliked killing and hurting others."
"Oh."
Feng Furen sighed, "The Hui Lan you see now must be very different from my description huh?"
"Hm, she looks capable of doing that, but then again, the girl doesn't seem to like hurting others as she pleased…"
As she thought of her teacher's words, Feng Furen was deep in her thoughts.
...Hm, what her teacher had said was right. Hui Lan did not really seem to like hurting others or killing either nor was she not capable of doing it.
Elder Zhang did not bother his student who was thinking to herself. He already knew that the girl must have been just like this student of his.
...They were both the same. Just one coming from the past and one from the future, but both meeting each other at the same place.
...What were the heavens thinking...hm.
Elder Zhang looked at his finished touch and nodded.
...This seemed just right.
Elder Zhang folded the white closes in his hand and walked over to his student. He handed the small pile of clothes in front of Feng Furen and spoke, "Here, give this to your daughter when she is done with your test."
Feng Furen looked at the Rui student clothes that were in front of her. She looked at it for a while as she thought of her teacher's words.
...By now, he must know that Hui Lan was not the same Hui Lan, but he...without thinking much...steadily called Hui Lan her daughter…
Slowly, Feng Furen took the clothes away from her teacher.
...Moreover, it seemed he had also accepted Hui Lan to be his student.
Elder Zhang patted on his students burdened shoulders, "Don't think much about it. We all have our duties. Teach her only if you want that, but if more, you can always be a mother...there isn't that much different." After speaking, he then took his leave to go into his own room leaving his student alone in her mixed thoughts.
...There wasn't a lot of problem about it, but it was something that his student had to get over by herself. The pain has to be wiped away before peace would be with her…
...Here was the only place where the girl from the future could be safe and learn from.
...She would need to be prepared for her own task.
In the green arena, one young lady who looked rather tranquil was sitting in front of a master who was excluding a righteous air.
In between them was a simple looking board of chess.
However, if another master of the game saw how the game was proceeding, one would be immersed in how both placed their chess pieces.
It was like a fierce battle in itself.