Chapter 214: Wanting to be infamous, don

Da Wang took Zhou Huang out of the mansion and headed straight for Vermilion Bird Avenue, then stopped in front of his tavern.

When they got off the vehicle, his follower-bug bear didn't go inside, but pulled him pointing south—the grilled squid hadn't arrived yet!

Da Wang: "…There's lots of good stuff in here too!" Who treats guests to a meal and then serves snacks!

That bear wouldn't budge, tugging Da Wang southward; Zhou Huang thought they'd have to wrestle a while, but Da Wang, unmoved by persuasion, grabbed one of the bear's legs and dragged it off… dragged it off…

I was saying the tiles in front of the shop are a bit slippery, but that's a bear, good heavens!

Zhou Huang's impression of Da Wang was shattered and rebuilt once again, adding one note: his martial power is astonishing.

Although Da Wang pretended to be a wealthy bear-raising young master of a great clan on the street, he dropped the act on his own turf.

The shopkeeper saw him dragging the bear inside, ran over and asked if they wanted the usual upstairs private room; Da Wang immediately dropped the bear and followed the shopkeeper. As Zhou Huang took a step and glanced back, he saw Weini scramble up on its own, wobbling after him up the stairs, shaking off the dirt it had dragged on its rear as it climbed.

All right, the bear has become a spirit.

Da Wang treated Zhou Huang to a meal of Youzhou cuisine, and Zhou Huang's overall impression of Youzhou improved a bit—no one can resist a food attack. Though he ate well at the Youwang Mansion too, hospitality always followed the Great Jin culinary standard, which excels in seafood; there's no flashy variety in taverns designed just to squeeze customers' wallets.

Da Wang believed he had properly publicized and entertained his relatives, then took him straight down Vermilion Bird Avenue to the Northern Border Academy.

Zhou Huang stood at the gate of the Northern Border Academy, gazing at the exquisite jade-white archway, the white stone steps leading up the mountainside to the middle of the slope, where white pavilions nestled among the hills and trees in splendid beauty, and thought Da Wang wasn't boasting at all.

Just looking at this architecture, he didn't believe the Fuyuan Academy in Chang'an could be better.

Da Wang took him straight to see Xie Yuan, but was told by Xie Yuan's attendants that Lord Xie was currently discussing the Dao with several old friends.

Da Wang recalled the Grand Tutor and those few people who knew him inside out, then had Zhou Huang and Weini wait on the spot while he went over with a grin. Seeing him still in sight, Weini didn't kick up a fuss.

Xie Yuan and a few friends sat in a pavilion in the bitter cold, boiling tea and debating the Dao, the argument growing fiercely intense.

Da Wang ran over gleefully, calling, "Lord Xie, Lord Xie, I've come to study!"

Lord Xie rose to return the salute, then introduced each of the two friends present.

One, about fifty, roughly Lord Xie's age, was named Wang Tu; the other, looking about thirty, younger, was called Lu Ren.

Da Wang heard that and nodded.

The Wang surname belongs to a friend of Xie Yuan from the Qingyang Academy; the Lu surname is the son of the clan head of the Fanyang Lu family, who has some famous work—I can't recall exactly what Da Wang heard half-heartedly, but it doesn't matter; having renown is enough to bolster the Northern Border Academy's reputation. One Xie Yuan isn't nearly enough; he's still far from completing his mission.

Da Wang had already overheard two sentences of their argument outside; he had no desire to join in, and with a grin asked whether they were accustomed to life at the Northern Border Academy.

Whenever the academy came up—including Xie Yuan—there was nothing but praise.

The three academic bigwigs lavished praise on the academy's facilities, then praised Da Wang's teaching staff, saying the few NPC instructors he'd hired were top-notch.

Lu Ren especially praised the library's collection, and said the academy's atmosphere was excellent—here he lived comfortably and his inspiration flowed freely.

Xie Yuan also mentioned that his new work was taking shape.

Da Wang thought, "You've got good taste; the academy comes with a mental buff, so studying here clears the mind far better than outside."

Da Wang took all the compliments in stride; he saw no point in playing games with a kid and these old foxes, and his position didn't require it. He straight out asked the two whether they'd like to sign a contract with the Northern Border Academy to teach and study there.

Who would have thought that upon extending the invitation, Xie Yuan kept grinning while the other two flatly refused.

Da Wang pretended not to care, his face aloof, then left the academy to go complain at the Zhao Zhu Pavilion in Youzhou.

"They live off the academy, taking advantage of me; as soon as they hear they're supposed to join, they refuse outright without a word! What does that mean? Do they look down on me or on Youzhou? Humph! I've never seen anyone so disrespectful! Everyone says scholars are sly and slippery…"

"Cough! Cough!"

Zhao Bao behind him kept coughing; Da Wang stopped, fuming, and asked, "You've caught a chill—why are you still out here?"

Zhao Bao wanted to cry but had no tears: "Your Highness, please don't say such offensive things about the great clans in public…!" You ought to at least whisper that kind of "one‑stick‑kills‑a‑boat" talk in private—this is a busy construction site!

Da Wang stood with hands on hips: "Do you think I'd be afraid of offending them?!"

The Zhao Zhu Pavilion advised him: "Your Highness, calm down. Naturally, those who study in the Great Jin come from scholar‑official families, accustomed to looking down on others, so it's normal they don't buy your account."

That advice just poured oil on the fire—Da Wang wanted to jump up and toss them out at once!

Zhao Zhu Pavilion grabbed him: "You admire their scholarship—do you really want them to teach, or…?"

Da Wang scoped the surroundings, pulled him to a secluded corner, and had Zhao Bao go keep watch.

"They look down on me—how could I possibly look up to them?! This is why the mission keeps going unfinished! To everyone here, Xie Yuan is just a quirky exception; Old Xie merely happens to like this place. Wouldn't having a few more celebrities draw more student attention? I've heard Lu Ren has a notable work too. Besides, I don't actually want them to stay and lecture—could they even out‑teach the specialist NPCs the mission provides?"

"Then are you afraid of completely offending those two, Your Highness?"

"I'd personally love to throw those two out."

"Then do it."

"Really… huh? Throw?" Da Wang hit the brakes suddenly, hearing something unbelievable.

Zhao Zhu Pavilion said unperturbed: "The Northern Border Academy has its own specialties and its own library—why give face to those scholar‑official cliques? Your Highness, just kick them out; as long as you get fame… even notoriety counts as red."

Da Wang's eyes lit up instantly.

Zhao Zhu Pavilion immediately added: "But doing that would offend Xie Yuan—those two came because of him, right? With only a few months left on the deadline, Your Highness, do you have a way to settle him?"

Da Wang tapped his fingers, ready to burn the bridges. "His reward I've already claimed. Still, I don't dislike his words. You're right—I'll first steady Xie Yuan, then kick those two famous outsiders out! Don't think stirring up the Northern Border Academy will go unnoticed—hahaha~"

Da Wang sharpened his blades, preparing to trade those two bigwigs for his fifty‑million‑visit fame points—that's two A‑rank lottery spins, what does A‑rank mean? To Youzhou, anyway, those two are nowhere near as important as a thousand‑times‑more.

The next day, Xie Yuan noticed Da Wang arriving for class bursting with energy.

He stroked his beard—pretty good, very imposing, no lingering anger from yesterday… Of course, it'd be even better if he didn't have that bear loitering outside the door.

As soon as his class ended, Da Wang bounced over and handed him a few familiar hand‑copied books.

The first page bore the title: 《A Bird That Flew Early for a Thousand Years: Ancient Meteorological Observation and Measurement Technology》.

It's not about having many moves; as long as they're useful, that's enough.