C11 I will Take Care of the Carefree Journey!

"Mengmeng, isn't it exhausting to work by yourself? Let me keep you company." A person strode into the library, not waiting for Zhang Yumeng's consent before he reached out and grabbed the stool from beneath her.

Zhang Yumeng turned her head and caught sight of the figure, her face flashing with disgust and displeasure. Fortunately, she had been standing for some time, and the warmth from the stool had completely faded away.

"Mengmeng, why are you standing? It must be uncomfortable to work like that." He followed Zhang Yumeng's gaze, but was suddenly taken aback. His mouth hung open, nearly drooling.

"Wow, what luck! Isn't that Shangguan Xian, the most beautiful girl on campus? I didn't expect to come here early today and actually get to see Shangguan Xian! What a stroke of fortune! If only I could..."

Zhang Yumeng's annoyance with him grew as she listened to his ramblings, but she felt powerless to do anything about it.

He was a classmate named Jiang Shi. Despite attending Diaton University, he carried an air of the streets about him. He had declared his affection for her shortly after arriving and had secretly warned other students that anyone who pursued her would face his wrath. He hung out with a rough crowd at Diaton University. Now that Ye Rong had been dismissed, Jiang Shi was the one who stepped in to take his place.

Zhang Yumeng disliked people who exuded such a streetwise aura. She had thought that working in the library would be a peaceful escape, a place where she wouldn't have to deal with Jiang Shi. Ye Rong might not have been particularly humorous or handsome, but he was pure of heart and never behaved offensively. With Ye Rong gone and Jiang Shi stepping in, her sanctuary in the library was no longer peaceful.

"Ah! Damn it! Who is that touching my Shangguan Xian's hand?!" Jiang Shi's eyes darted angrily.

"Hmm? Wait a second." Suddenly, something seemed to click in his mind. He pulled out his phone and compared it to the person touching Shangguan Xian's hand, his surprise evident. "Isn't that Ye Rong?"

"Haha, I didn't expect that before I could even start trouble with him, he's already crossed paths with Shangguan Xian. Zhao Qi is definitely going to take care of him. This guy's days at the school are numbered now!"

His eyebrows danced with excitement.

"Don't judge others by your own level of ability. Moreover, it's not me who's holding your hand right now; it's you holding mine!" Ye Rong was seething with anger. Even when facing the woman who often chose to back down, she stood her ground.

"You!" Zhao Qi was enraged. As he was about to stomp his foot, Shangguan Xian pulled him back.

Her gaze lingered on Ye Rong, eyes sparkling.

"Fine, I'll give you a chance. If you can prove that you can read a page of a book in two seconds, I'll let you off the hook today."

"Read a page in two seconds?" Jiang Shi, overhearing from a distance, burst into laughter, "Impossible! Does he think he's a deity? That kind of skill belongs on a TV show! This guy is just making excuses. He must have intentionally touched Shangguan Xian. He's gotten off easy..."

Zhang Yumeng couldn't stand his attitude. Though she found it hard to believe Ye Rong could read a page in two seconds, she agreed with his sentiment—don't judge others by your own capabilities! Take Jiang Shi, for instance; he didn't hold a candle to Ye Rong! Why should he speculate about others? Ye Rong had arrived with her early in the morning, entering as soon as she opened the door. He had been browsing books for hours, long before Shangguan Xian arrived. How could his actions be intentional? Besides, it was clear that it was Shangguan Xian who was holding onto Ye Rong's hand.

"That's not necessarily true. I think he might actually be capable."

Jiang Shi was taken aback. Zhang Yumeng was actually engaging in conversation with him. He had always pursued her, and she would occasionally respond, but rarely did she engage in conversation. Yet here she was, speaking up, and in defense of Ye Rong, no less!

Jiang Shi scoffed, "Capable? He's certainly capable of stirring up trouble!"

"Listen, even if he hadn't crossed paths with Goddess Xian today, his days at this school were numbered! Do you know why he's being let go? Even though he's been absent for two days, urgent matters could be negotiated. But now, both Wang Tianhao and Boss Gao from inside the school, as well as Gao Wanteng, Boss Gao from outside, have their sights set on him. He's being dismissed with just a word from Boss Gao. He's been fired from the library, and with Boss Gao's influence, he won't find work anywhere on campus! And if he tries his luck off-campus... well, good luck to him!"

Boss Gao is far more merciless! He's not just stopping him from finding a job, he's going to give him a beating too!"

"Boss Wang has done his homework. The guy's family is out in the sticks, dirt-poor. He's jobless and can't fend for himself, and his family can't afford to send him money! It's only a matter of time before he's forced to crawl back home! If he doesn't, he'll starve to death on the streets of Ineron!"

"We'll see if he's wise enough to recognize his situation."

Zhang Yumeng was shocked.

She had assumed that Ye Rong was simply fired for missing a couple of days, but she had no idea there was someone deliberately sabotaging him. And to such a cruel degree!

She knew how hard it was to get into university, having gone through the grueling entrance exams herself. Her family wasn't rich, which is why she was working part-time at the library to make ends meet. Ye Rong, coming from a remote village, had few options other than college to escape his circumstances.

Ye Rong had succeeded, but now, someone was intent on forcing him back to that life!

If he didn't return, they were willing to let him die of hunger in Ineron!

Such malice was beyond comprehension!

"How can you be so heartless?!" Zhang Yumeng confronted Jiang Shi, her voice filled with indignation.

She was merely an acquaintance of Ye Rong's, not even close enough to call him a classmate, but her empathy for him surged, especially in contrast to Jiang Shi's callousness. She couldn't hold back her words; their cruelty was just too much!

Jiang Shi just laughed at Zhang Yumeng's reaction, lounging back with a smug look. "That's the way the world works, Mengmeng. Stick with me, and you'll live the good life."

Zhang Yumeng turned away, her body shaking with emotion, refusing to engage with him.

"Hmph, stop playing the innocent. But you know, I do enjoy the thought of shattering that purity of yours. It's only a matter of time before I get you in bed." Jiang Shi smirked to himself, then turned his attention back to Shangguan Xian.

"I won't make it too hard for you. I've taken just one page with a single article on it. Don't tell me you only read it without committing it to memory," Shangguan Xian said as she opened a book, flipped to a page, and handed it to Ye Rong.

"One."

"Two."

She took it back.

A few onlookers nearby caught a glimpse of the page.

"Isn't this 'Carefree Journey' by Zhuangzi? Lucky guy, I know it too!"

"What can you recite? Go on, recite it for me. But keep it down, don't let him overhear."

"Okay, 'In the northern darkness, there is a fish named Kun. The Kun is so large...'”

"And what comes after that?"

"I... I've forgotten."

"Didn't you say you knew it?"

"How can I remember something from high school so clearly? Besides, we weren't required to memorize the whole text back then! He's lucky, isn't it better than not having heard it at all?"

"Goddess Xian is truly benevolent!"

Shangguan Xian really wasn't being unreasonable. The page from 'Carefree Journey' was familiar to many, and they had memorized it in high school. If you could genuinely read a page in two seconds, all you had to do was recall the parts you hadn't memorized back then. This significantly reduced the difficulty.

Still, it was a daunting task. Who could clearly remember what they had memorized in high school, let alone memorize a few lines on the spot in two seconds?

Zhang Yumeng clenched her hands, attempting to recite it herself. She was given hope, but was this hope just a prelude to deeper despair?

Jiang Shi snorted, "Prepare for a beating! You've boasted too much. Who remembers this stuff now?"

Jiang Shi was correct; Ye Rong didn't remember it. Whether it was 'Carefree Journey' or something else entirely, Ye Rong was unfamiliar with it. His only option was to rely on his two-second memory to learn it!

"No one is universally recognized as a saint, no one is a god in their deeds, no one has reached the ultimate state," Ye Rong began, his voice cutting through the noise, prompting everyone to listen intently. Most of them furrowed their brows in confusion.

"What is this?"

"Exactly! Is this the 'Carefree Journey'? The 'Carefree Journey' isn't like this..."

"Although he appears earnest, this is not..."

Many were eager to discern what exactly Ye Rong was reciting, as the content he had committed to memory struck them as peculiar. It felt familiar, yet it seemed out of place.

"This isn't right! He should be punished!" Jiang Shi declared, furrowing his brow.

Zhang Yumeng was initially puzzled as well, but after pondering for a bit, a look of delight spread across her face.

Shangguan Xian also arched an eyebrow.

"The disgrace of a realm cannot be argued; it is not determined by external forces but by internal ones. It is not about convincing others of wrongs, but about encouraging them towards praise."

"The Qi Yun Jue, the highest of the nine, the highest of the nine."

"Wings that resemble the sky? Or is it the sky that resembles wings? It's the sky that resembles wings, ascending nine thousand li, shaking the ram's horns, dispelling the clouds with vigor!" someone exclaimed in astonishment.

Most visitors to the library were there to learn, and with this hint, the crowd suddenly came to a realization.

Reading a book backwards is awkward, let alone memorizing it in reverse. This deviated from customary word usage. Yet, Ye Rong was reciting the Carefree Journey backwards with such ease and fluidity! Everyone was astounded.

Jiang Shi, taken aback, huffed, "What's this act about?" but found himself at a loss for words.

"The Peng is renowned, the bird transforms. The Kun is vast, a fish in the northern darkness."

Ye Rong concluded his recitation.

"He must have prepared in advance..." someone murmured, but then fell silent. Even if it was prepared beforehand, the difficulty was unimaginable, especially since Shangguan Xian had chosen the passage on a whim. If it was prepared, it only proved that Ye Rong's knowledge was profoundly deep, and he surely knew more than just this passage.

"I'll concede defeat and let you off this time," Shangguan Xian said, withdrawing her hand and walking away.

"This hand, I'll let you keep it for now," Zhao Qi also snorted, leaving with a hostile glance.

"Stop right there!" Ye Rong bellowed angrily.

He turned to Shangguan Xian and Zhao Qi. "You may have spared me, but I never said I would spare you!"

His eyes sparkled with vitality, emitting a brilliance that was piercingly cold to the bone!

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