"That year, I walked past a cemetery with my hands in my pocket..."
"Fine, I can't keep up with the fabrication. Actually, it's an old book I found in our ancient manor, covering a lot of content about zombies."
"There may be some exaggerated parts, but overall, the information shouldn't be too far from the truth."
"Why?" Jiang Yongnian's eyes shimmered with curiosity.
"Because the author of the book introduced himself at the end."
"He's a 'Corpse Chaser', and his contracted Fond Spirit is a 'Six-clawed Zombie'."
"Through his ability, he also raised hundreds of red-haired zombies, blue-haired zombies, and green-haired zombies…"
"As long as he has a large horde of zombies under his control, his combat capabilities will become notably formidable, thus he spends his whole life dealing with the Corpse Race."
Ye Hanjun craftily repackaged a former guard into a reclusive expert, thus creating a story from nothing:
"The knowledge detailed in the book is just a negligible part of his lifelong practical findings."
"But for me, it widened my horizons, and maybe one day, it will prove to be of great value."
"Just like now, the assessment questions from the elder are related and I can answer in detail."
"Smart kid..." Jiang Yongnian was too astounded to complain, engrossed in the report of thirty to fifty thousand words.
His brows furrowed and unfolded alternately, like a dry sponge incessantly soaking in the downpour of knowledge.
"If I could have provided her with this knowledge as guidance back then, might I have helped her back on the right path..."
"The right path?" Ye Hanjun was surprised, sparking a bit of curiosity.
"Nothing." Jiang Yongnian sighed, shaking his head: "They're all old tales, better left untouched."
"Look at the question! Keep reading the question!"
"I refuse to believe that you can correctly answer more than half of these difficult questions!"
Ye Hanjun chuckled, leaving behind the words "Feel free to read all you want" and walked to a particularly transparent glass cabinet, finding a brand new, clean teacup.
He returned to the table, bravely ignoring the old man's dumbfounded gaze and promptly took his teapot.
He poured half a cup for the first round, to warm the cup and sterilize it.
The second cup, completely filled, exuded a warm aroma, just nice for sipping.
"Not bad, bright soup color, numbing but not spicy on the palate, leaving a fragrant aftertaste."
"Regular drinking should help stimulate appetite and improve digestion, promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, and somewhat prolong life..."
Ye Hanjun savored it, as his body which was constantly coughing blood and feeling chilly, gradually felt a touch of warmth.
He pretended not to see the old man's distressed expression across him.
Instead, he muttered to himself, wondering how much Heavenly and Earthly Materials he would need to replenish this broken body to its previous state.
And that demon woman.
Dealing with this living ancestor, only dealing with symptoms and not the root cause, is probably not a good thing...
"You're as if you're at home, drinking when you're thirsty, eating when you're hungry, do you also need a maid to wash your clothes, cook your meals, and make your bed?"
Jiang Yongnian didn't stop him in actuality, but he couldn't help but taunt and ridicule, trying in various ways to teach the young man some manners.
"I do not need a maid, I am physically capable and can take care of myself."
Ye Hanjun blinked: "But, could I advance the staff meal? I'm truly a bit hungry."
"Spoiled young master, look at what you've become..."
Jiang Yongnian grumbled, clearly unwilling.
At Ye Hanjun's age, he is too young to be a mentor. He would never allow it.
But his spiritual presence and the densely floating text within the spirit cloth scroll were too dazzling for him to deny his capabilities.
Jiang Yongnian's confident words further crumbled, unable to maintain any semblance of firmness.
"Tell me, why when two Savage Fond Spirits - the Golden-winged Flying Tigers fought, they have to fight to the death... You answered with 'no one dares to intervene'?"
"Why when the Diamond Lion and Fighting Bear held a competition on whose droppings are larger, smellier, and more capable of driving away weaker spirits... you answered with 'Lion's poop is superior to Bear's'?"
Jiang Yongnian flicked the table, asking earnestly.
Ye Hanjun burst into laughter: "Elder, is it possible that your studies are too high-end, to the point where you've not heard of riddles?"
"Riddles?" Jiang Yongnian was puzzled.
"Yes, for mortals, when formidable spirits are fighting, instead of running away, who would dare to intervene? Isn't that a clear case of a lamb entering a tiger's den – a one-way trip?"
"And for the second question, 'lion's poop' is a fact, 'bear's stool' is eloquent, it's a simple pun, there's no other reasoning."
"Oh, I see..." Jiang Yongnian swallowed hard, his face turning red in embarrassment.
Seemingly covering up his embarrassment, he softened his voice a bit, and immediately picked another problem trying to correct it:
"The Fennel Pig has more than 100 ways to die. I did not require you to write them all; if you could write 30, it would be considered correct."
"But your answer was — 'as long as the knife is fast enough, the Fennel Pig has innumerable ways to die'... Are you questioning the fairness of my question? Do you think my question is wrong in itself?"
"That's right." This time Ye Hanjun didn't joke, but seriously underlined:
"Although the Fennel Pig is a low-ranking Fond Spirit, with an average rank of Clay Body, only a handful, under fortunate circumstances, can ascend to the Rainbow Light Fetus."
"But it is a treasure throughout, especially its bones, which can be described as all-purpose seasoning."
"Whether it's common dishes or legendary delicacies, it can enhance their flavor."
Jiang Yongnian nodded subconsciously.
He was not sure about other places, but in the Academy cafeteria, the total number of Fennel Pigs that were offered to the dining table each year could circle the Academy ten times, an appallingly huge number.
"Such a delicious ingredient naturally has special restrictions."
"Whether a Fennel Pig is caught in the wild or farm-raised, if it dies in the wrong way, the aroma it possesses internally can be lost."
"In the most severe cases, it even becomes unbearably stinky, completely losing its original flavor."
Ye Hanjun closed his eyes, took a light breath, as though he could smell the aroma emitted by a Fennel Pig's bone after being stewed for ten hours, his face held a trace of intoxication:
"Many places have this kind of misconception that a Fennel Pig cannot die through suffocation, exhaustion, or being burned by intense flames..."
"Instead, it's methods such as dying of old age, paralysis through poison, rapid freezing...such techniques can obtain Fennel Pig bones with aroma."
"But… this is a misconception!"
"In some big cities, numerous mighty beings have proven that if their Fond Spirits are able to instantly kill a Fennel Pig without damaging the integrity of its brain, the Fennel Pig won't secrete stinky hormones. The bones obtained will naturally be of excellent quality…"
Ye Hanjun's explanation was meticulous, leaving Jiang Yongnian unable to find a point of dispute. He listened from beginning to end in surprise.
The sensation felt like being transported back a hundred years, when as a nothing teenager, he listened to the eloquent lectures of his mentor in class.
Is... is he kidding!
Has this kid really read a lot of books?
Even if he hadn't slept or eaten for 20 years, how many could he possibly have read?
Or does it mean he spent his time reading miscellaneous books irrelevant to mainstream subjects, cleverly choosing eccentric topics, with his intelligence ultimately backfiring?
With this thought, Jiang Yongnian's face began to turn a little black.
He was becoming increasingly unsure about the potential value of the young man before him.
But even if he had hundreds of reluctance in his heart, he had to admit that this young man was different from his peers.
"Senior, have I reached the required fifty count?" Ye Hanjun asked.
He had already calculated that there were 10 outrageous questions, like "If me and your mother simultaneously fall into the water, who will you save first?" There was no way he could answer these questions.
He left 10 questions intentionally blank, and intentionally got 10 wrong, to show he wasn't perfect - this was more fitting for his current identity.
For another 10 questions, he made up answers purely based on his imagination.
Jiang Yongnian probably wouldn't have the discernment to understand what was truly right or wrong, so some of these made-up answers should at least be a little accurate.
As for the last 60 questions, Ye Hanjun might have concealed key information, but he ensured overall correctness in his answers.
No matter how you look at it, he should have scored more than 55 points, passing the second phase easily.
"At least 60 points..."
"Though some answers couldn't be authenticated immediately, they were rational and convincing that made me feel embarrassed and puzzled... But my subconscious mind is surprisingly excited, believing that this kid is a rough gemstone which, with just a bit of sculpting, would shine brightly…"
Jiang Yongnian's face wore its wrinkles in a twist, his puzzlement and ambivalence evident in his eyes.
"The second phase of the test is about 'knowledge', and it has proven that you have enough academic reserves, far beyond your peers."
"Thank you for your confirmation, senior."
Ye Hanjun pulled out the new tea cup he had just helped the old man with, filled it with chili pepper tea, raised it and proposed a toast with an easy smile:
"So... how should we proceed with the last phase?"
"The last phase..." Jiang Yongnian's eyes flickered as he paused for at least fifteen seconds before continuing:
"I never thought that you would get through the first two phases."
"The third phase, if held strictly according to the rules, would be of little significance."
"But just now, I thought of a plan that's perfect – it's absolutely excellent!"
As soon as he heard this, Ye Hanjun's smile gradually faded, and he began to have a bad premonition in his mind.
What kind of trick is this old man planning to play? Is he going to play all the tricks, both open and covert, dirty and clean?
"Don't panic." Jiang Yongnian said with a mind-read transparent smile:
"Young man, although you are physically weak and lack absolute hard power."
"But you've got a good brain. I am interested in the knowledge inside."
"What do you mean?" Ye Hanjun raised an eyebrow.
Jiang Yongnian said with a smug expression, "For this third phase, let's break the rules this once."
"This way, not only can it satisfy your purposes and needs, it can also help you to grow in power."
"And it can have you eliminated in advance when you fail to meet my expectations, or lose your competitiveness."
"I'll name this third phase 'Social Practice'."
"I will grant you the temporary title of 'Assistant', making you a trainee mentor of the lowest level"
"After a month, if I receive a lot of complaints, or you can't get the joint approval of at least three formal mentors, I will revoke this title and notify you at the same time to leave Canghai Pavilion's education system."