440: Chapter 440 Why aren't you moving?

"Dean Zhao, that place is making 'clanking' sounds, is it blacksmithing?"

"That's right. Those are students from the Casting Department, having a class."

"Isn't that just a blacksmith? Can they even enter the academy?"

A few students immediately whispered, full of disdain.

Since they were able to accompany Master Li Jingyi and Master Xu Huaian, they were naturally the elite students of the academy, each possessing a sense of arrogance.

Zhao Cailing chuckled dismissively: "What's wrong with being a blacksmith? Do you think anyone can be a blacksmith? That is a highly sophisticated technical trade."

"Dean Zhao, your words are a bit alarmist. Although we are scholars, it's not like we've never seen blacksmithing."

"It's nothing more than heating, quenching, and hammering. There is some technical aspect to it, but compared to studying the classics, it's just manual labor that requires practice."

A student immediately retorted, and the other students chimed in with sounds of agreement.

Zhao Cailing smiled mischievously: "Is that so? Then I'll take you inside. If you still think blacksmithing is just manual labor after seeing it, then I'll concede."

"Fine! Let's take a look!"

"I don't believe it, how complicated can blacksmithing be?"

Seeing this, Master Li Jingyi and Master Xu Huaian became interested as well, so they led the students and followed Zhao Cailing into the "Casting College."

The buildings of the Casting College looked more like factories—lofty, spacious, and well-ventilated.

As soon as they entered, they saw massive blast furnaces and various boring machines.

There was also a pile of metal equipment they had never seen before and completely could not understand.

What surprised the academy group even more was that the students here were not the bare-chested, rough men they had imagined.

Most were in their teens or twenties and looked quite refined.

On many black stone boards, strange terms were written in gypsum powder.

Things like lost-wax casting, steel pouring, heat treatment, pressure control, crankshafts, connecting rods...

While these students were hammering, they had thick notebooks by their sides, and some were operating strange equipment.

"Master Li, how is your martial arts?" Zhao Cailing suddenly asked.

Master Li Jingyi, who had also had his eyes opened, regained his senses and said: "My martial arts are mediocre."

Zhao Cailing walked over to a piece of equipment and pointed to a hand ring.

"Then Master Li can come and try this tool that the students just made."

As Zhao Cailing pulled the rope, they saw a rock weighing several hundred jin on the opposite side being hoisted into the air.

Master Li Jingyi looked surprised. He tried pulling it, and sure enough, he easily hoisted the giant rock!

The group of students watched in shock and scrambled to try it themselves.

When they confirmed that they could indeed lift a stone weighing several hundred jin with one hand using the machine, everyone wore an expression of disbelief.

"With this thing, couldn't anyone be like a Martial Arts Grandmaster and lift a thousand jun?"

Master Xu Huaian looked stunned: "Did the students really make this?"

Zhao Cailing smiled and said: "Do you all still think blacksmithing is just hammering away?"

The students were instantly humbled, and by the time they walked out of the Casting College, they had become much more subdued.

Just kidding, even a Martial Arts Grandmaster would have their worldview shattered here!

Following that, the group arrived at the Mathematics College.

Looking at the various addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division symbols in the classroom, the group was dumbfounded.

Although they understood every word the teacher on the podium said, once those words were strung together, they couldn't understand a single sentence!

What was frustrating was that many of them were women. Watching these women taking notes and writing various symbols they couldn't understand, the academy elites felt a mix of complicated emotions.

Finally, they arrived at the Literature College. Hearing the sound of reading inside, the students' faces lit up again!

This was the right vibe; this was their comfort zone!

For a moment, everyone held their heads high again.

But when they saw the two sentences on the wall of the Literature College, everyone froze.

"Be the first to worry about the world's troubles, and the last to enjoy the world's joys?"

"This handwriting... was it written by Elder Zhu?" Master Li Jingyi recognized it immediately.

"As expected of Elder Zhu. With these two sentences alone, he deserves to be remembered for generations. He is a role model for scholars like us!" Master Xu Huaian was also full of admiration.

Zhao Cailing smiled and said: "The calligraphy was written by Elder Zhu, but these two sentences were gifted to the students by the Prince of Zhenbei."

"What? These were the words of the Prince of Zhenbei?"

Everyone exclaimed in shock.

Zhao Cailing said proudly: "The Prince of Zhenbei said that scholars must understand: when poor, cultivate your own virtue; when prosperous, serve the world. You must have the ambition to help the people and save the world."

"Whether you pass the imperial examinations is not important. As long as you can bring prosperity to a region and contribute to the nation, you are worthy of the teachings of the sages."

Master Li Jingyi took a deep breath, and a sense of respect welled up from the bottom of his heart.

"No wonder the Prince of Zhenbei doesn't take the imperial examinations. He is the one who truly puts the books of the sages into practice."

"As for the likes of Lv Sheng, who only know how to compose poetry, what is the use? He should come and see these two sentences."

Master Xu Huaian also sighed with emotion: "Only now do I understand. The Prince of Zhenbei never abandoned literature for martial arts; he has transformed the books of the sages into a sharp blade to protect the country!"

The students nodded in agreement, feeling moved. At the same time, they despised Lv Sheng even more, feeling that he had brought shame to scholars.

After walking for another stretch, they finally arrived at the Medicine College.

However, to everyone's surprise, the college was located within a large field of medicinal herbs.

Over a hundred students were busy cultivating medicinal herbs; those who didn't know better would think they were plowing for spring planting.

"Isn't that the Prince of Zhenbei?"

Someone noticed Lin Xiao in the herb field, helping to pull weeds.

"Prince of Zhenbei! Master Li Jingyi and Master Xu Huaian have brought the students!" Zhao Cailing called out.

Lin Xiao stood up and waved at them: "Come over here. There are a lot of weeds, help me pull them, or it will be dark before we finish."

Pull weeds?!

The academy group looked at each other, their expressions somewhat reluctant.

Although Master Li Jingyi and Master Xu Huaian were also annoyed, they had come specifically to curry favor with the Prince of Zhenbei, so they naturally dared not disobey.

"The Prince of Zhenbei has given an order. Behave yourselves and get down there!"

"Yes, teacher..."

The students braced themselves, stepping gingerly into the muddy herb field.

Although most of them were from commoner backgrounds, because they were good at studying, their families only required them to read, and they had others to take care of their daily needs.

Suddenly having to do farm work, they were naturally clumsy, one after another.

Seeing this, Zhao Cailing went to teach them personally and had several elite female students from the Medicine Department supervise and guide them.

Before long, various "bad news" echoed out!

"Hey! I told you to pull weeds, not to pull up the herb seedlings!!"

"You're stepping on the herbs! You can't walk there!!"

"Are you blind? Can't you see such a big weed!?"

"Are you even a man? You can't even pull out a single weed?"

The group from the academy was "wailing across the field."

If it weren't for the two old masters keeping them in check, and the fact that the Prince of Zhenbei was working himself, they would have quit long ago.

"Master Li, why aren't you moving?"

"Prince of Zhenbei, I've strained my back..."

"Dean Zhao! Hurry, there's someone here who strained their back!"

After a chaotic mess, by the time the sun was about to set, the weeding was finally finished.

Master Li Jingyi was already collapsed on a rock, while Master Xu Huaian was panting heavily, disregarding his dignity, sitting on a small stool with his legs splayed out.

The group of scholars were sprawled out, disheveled and covered in dirt, some covered in mud, having no idea how many times they had fallen.

Xiao Qingxuan brought over a basin of water to help Lin Xiao wash his hands and change his shoes.

Su Wansha ordered someone to bring over some freshly steamed corn buns, rice porridge, and pickles for the students.

The students devoured the food ravenously, as if they had never eaten such "delicacies" before.

This sight made a group of female students from the Medicine College giggle incessantly.

Although the scholars felt ashamed, they couldn't care too much; they just blushed and focused on eating.

Lin Xiao walked over to the two old men and smiled: "Master Li, Master Xu, thank you for bringing people to help today, otherwise I really wouldn't have finished."

The two old men forced a bitter smile. No wonder he wanted them to bring so many people—it turned out they were just here to do manual labor?

"You are too kind, Prince of Zhenbei. It has been a long time since I stretched my muscles like this," Master Li Jingyi said with a fawning smile.

"Oh? If you like it, Master Li, why not come back in two days? There is another patch..."

"No need! Absolutely no need! I... I have things to do and need to return to the academy," Master Li Jingyi quickly raised his hand.

Lin Xiao shrugged: "Alright then. Let's meet up again when you have time. By the way... what did you want to talk to me about? You can say it now."

Master Li Jingyi and Master Xu Huaian were delighted; finally, they could discuss the main topic!

But just as they were about to speak, they suddenly found themselves at a loss for words.

The two recalled what they had seen and heard that afternoon, thought of those two sentences, and looked at the mud still clinging to Lin Xiao's pant legs...

For some reason, the words they had originally intended to say were... too shameful to utter.