This morning, Xia Xue was teaching, and Lin Tiancheng didn't dare be late, so he got up early and went to school.
"Tiancheng."
As soon as Lin Tiancheng reached the classroom door, he saw the round figure of Qiu Dazheng. Judging by his look, Qiu Dazheng had been waiting for him at the door.
"Dazheng." Lin Tiancheng grinned.
Due to his financial situation, Lin Tiancheng had always been working part-time at the Good Luck Jade Stone Shop, seldom participating in school activities, and thus had average relationships with most classmates. However, Qiu Dazheng was an exception—they were close friends.
Qiu Dazheng gave Lin Tiancheng a strong pat on the shoulder. "Why worry about a wife, my friend? Let's have a good drink tonight."
Lin Tiancheng figured Qiu Dazheng had heard about what happened between him and Wang Xiaomin. He smiled and said, "It's not that bad; I haven't really taken it to heart."
If Lin Tiancheng had been depressed or sighed in frustration, Qiu Dazheng might have felt better. Seeing Lin Tiancheng like this, however, made him more worried.
He knew well how much Lin Tiancheng cared for Wang Xiaomin.
But they were at the classroom door, and Qiu Dazheng couldn't say much to comfort him. He gave Lin Tiancheng a firm punch to the chest and said, "Enough talk—tonight, we won't stop until we're drunk. By the way, did you copy 'The Essentials from the Golden Cabinet' for Xia the Goddess?"
"No, did you?" Lin Tiancheng asked.
The "Xia the Goddess" Qiu Dazheng referred to was Xia Xue, who taught them 'Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases.' Last week, when she asked about 'The Essentials from the Golden Cabinet,' hardly anyone could answer, and she got furious, telling everyone to copy it once.
Lin Tiancheng had been working part-time at the jade shop, and with the text being tens of thousands of characters, he simply hadn't had the time.
"Damn! Really? You're dead meat!" Qiu Dazheng said.
Lin Tiancheng scratched his head. "It shouldn't be that serious, right?"
"Not that serious? This woman might be pretty, but she's strict. I even suspect she's entering menopause early."
Noticing that the classroom door suddenly fell silent and the students were streaming into the classroom, Lin Tiancheng and Qiu Dazheng were immediately on alert.
They turned to look behind them, and their expressions changed at once.
Standing less than two meters away from them was an incredibly beautiful woman, tall—at least 1.75 meters. She wore a white undershirt, a black jacket, and tight jeans, her ample chest prominent and her long legs particularly striking.
Judging by Xia Xue's frosty expression and cold gaze, it was clear she had overheard Qiu Dazheng saying she might be entering menopause early.
Qiu Dazheng groaned inwardly and walked into the classroom.
Lin Tiancheng also had an ominous feeling. If Xia Xue hadn't heard what he and Qiu Dazheng said, that would be fine; but if she had, they were probably in for it.
Xia Xue entered the classroom, and it was already dead silent.
Despite her youth and beauty, Xia Xue was well-known at the School of Traditional Chinese Medicine for her rigorous lectures, excellent medical skills, and fierce style. However, some people had seen her entering Dean Jin Mantang's office alone several times, sparking rumors that she was involved with him.
"Can anyone recite 'The Essentials from the Golden Cabinet'?" Xia Xue swept her gaze across the class.
Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to meet her eyes. If they were called upon to recite it, it would be embarrassing.
"Wang Xiaomin, can you recite it?" Xia Xue looked at Wang Xiaomin.
Wang Xiaomin shook her head. Though she couldn't recite it, there was an imperceptible sense of satisfaction on her face. After all, in Xia Xue's eyes, she was the most likely to be able to do it.
Xia Xue sighed inwardly. "Looks like I'll be letting Grandpa down."
She came from a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and knew well the profoundness of Chinese medicine. But with Western medicine prevailing, the environment for Chinese medicine was getting increasingly difficult, and fewer people were willing to learn it.
What was worse, although this was Yun City School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, how many of these students were genuinely dedicated to learning it? Without genuine effort, how could they hope to make a living from it? If they couldn't even manage a stable life, how could they practice Chinese medicine as a career?
"If Yun City School of Traditional Chinese Medicine doesn't have the person Grandpa is looking for, then what's the point of me staying here?"
With that thought, Xia Xue made up her mind to leave. She didn't even feel like checking if anyone had copied 'The Essentials from the Golden Cabinet.'
However, recalling the conversation between Lin Tiancheng and Qiu Dazheng about her supposedly entering menopause early, she definitely wasn't going to let them off.
"Lin Tiancheng, Qiu Dazheng, did you two copy 'The Essentials from the Golden Cabinet'?" Xia Xue's beautiful eyes showed a hint of coldness.
Qiu Dazheng shivered, quickly stood up, and handed over his copied 'The Essentials from the Golden Cabinet.'
"I didn't copy it," Lin Tiancheng admitted honestly.
The whole class gasped, looking at Lin Tiancheng with schadenfreude in their eyes.
There were more men than women at the School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Wang Xiaomin was one of the class beauties. Many envied and resented Lin Tiancheng for being with her.
Many of them hadn't yet heard that Lin Tiancheng and Wang Xiaomin had broken up, and they couldn't wait for Xia Xue to give Lin Tiancheng a hard time.
Upon hearing that Lin Tiancheng hadn't copied it, a look of mockery flashed in Wang Xiaomin's eyes. She felt even more confident that she had made the right choice by choosing Qian Haoming.
"Although traditional Chinese medicine is declining, if Lin Tiancheng were diligent, he might still be able to make a living. But like this, he'll just end up as a laborer."
With that thought, any lingering guilt or unease in Wang Xiaomin's heart disappeared completely.
"Why didn't you copy it?" Xia Xue asked coldly.
Lin Tiancheng knew that if his answer didn't satisfy Xia Xue, he'd be in trouble. Given her relationship with the dean, she could easily fail him for good.
No matter what career path he chose later, his family had sacrificed so much to send him to school—failing his classes was something he absolutely couldn't accept.
Seeing that he still had 10% battery, Lin Tiancheng felt confident. He said, "You told us to copy 'The Essentials from the Golden Cabinet' so that we'd remember it. I already know it by heart and can recite it backward and forward, so I felt copying it again was unnecessary and a waste of time."
The class was stunned.
'Essentials from the Golden Cabinet' was tens of thousands of words, written in classical Chinese. Yet Lin Tiancheng dared to say he could recite it backward and forward? He was done for!
Even Xia Xue's eyes showed a hint of mockery. Was this desperation, or just a final act of defiance?
Though she wasn't much older than Lin Tiancheng, she wouldn't go easy on him just because he was trying to stand out.
She nodded and said, "Alright. Lin Tiancheng, if you can't recite it, don't expect to graduate—ever."
Lin Tiancheng stood up, activated his flashlight function, and looked at a closed copy of 'The Essentials from the Golden Cabinet' on a student's desk in the front row. He began to recite, "For treating all types of poisons, without knowing the exact timing, boil licorice, coix seed, and reed juice to drink… This is often mistaken for poisoning… If there are bitter almonds without seeds, they are fatal… Mercury poisoning can be countered by placing gold or silver near the ears…
"What is he even reciting?"
"Why can't I understand? Is he just making it up?"
"Holy crap, it's 'The Essentials from the Golden Cabinet,' but he's reciting it backward…"
No one knew when the entire class fell silent. No one interrupted Lin Tiancheng because, to everyone, each sentence he recited was a miracle.
In the classroom, only Lin Tiancheng's voice echoed clearly, "Once a condition develops, do not let the patient wash with cold water when sweating profusely…"
No one knew how much time had passed when Lin Tiancheng finally finished reciting every word without a single mistake.
The whole class was left stunned, their expressions frozen.
The entire text of "Jin Kui Yao Lue" consists of tens of thousands of words, and it's written in Classical Chinese. Lin Tiancheng actually dared to claim he could recite it backward? He's probably done for!
Xia Xue's eyes showed a hint of ridicule. Was this giving up on himself? Or perhaps a final desperate act?
Although she wasn't much older than Lin Tiancheng, she wasn't about to cut him any slack just because he was trying to be unique and show off.
She nodded and said, "Alright. Lin Tiancheng, if you can't recite it, then you'll never graduate."
Lin Tiancheng stood up, activated his flashlight function, and looked at a student's closed copy of "Jin Kui Yao Lue" on the front desk. He began, "Removing various toxic herbs, when unsure of the timing, boil licorice and ni juice to drink. Often it's false poison that is used; for all toxins, barren bitter practice leads to death. Mercury causes vomiting; placing gold or silver near the ear, all result in death. Mercury entering a person's ear or affecting livestock can be lethal. Medicine forms, penetrates the brain, and is applied to head wounds. Ting Li seeds... lethal."
"What's he reciting?"
"Why can't I understand? Is he just making it up?"
"Oh my god, it's 'Jin Kui Yao Lue.' He's reciting it backward..."
At some point, the entire class had fallen silent. No one interrupted Lin Tiancheng, because, in everyone's eyes, every sentence he recited was a miracle.
In the classroom, only Lin Tiancheng's voice remained, ringing clearly, "Once the illness sets in, one must use a fan and avoid washing with cold water. During summer, being heavily intoxicated with sweat flowing..."
No one knew how much time had passed before Lin Tiancheng finished his flawless backward recitation.
The expressions of the classmates were all frozen, their hearts trembling in awe.
Wang Xiaomin was also somewhat moved. She stole a glance at Lin Tiancheng, recalling that day when Lin Tiancheng asked her to believe that he would definitely make something of himself. She wondered if this was the confidence of Lin Tiancheng.
"Lin Tiancheng, I admit that you are diligent and outstanding, but there are some gaps that hard work alone cannot bridge. Even if you succeed and become a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, and manage to buy a house in a decent part of Yun City, how many years would you have to go without food or drink to achieve that?"
Of everyone present, the most shaken was Xia Xue.
The entire text of "Jin Kui Yao Lue" has over 37,000 characters, and it's written in Classical Chinese. Although she could also recite it, to do it backward like Lin Tiancheng... not even her grandfather could manage that.
"Could it be that the person Grandpa has been searching for all this time is right in front of me, and I've just never realized it?"
...