Chapter 105: Dangerous Homework

Su Mi sighed helplessly: “I… chose the study mainly because I had no other option.”

As for Su Mi.

Wu Xian’s impression of him wasn’t bad—actually, he felt a slight admiration.

Men naturally favor muscular builds, and Su Mi’s muscles were excessively massive.

He stood nearly two meters tall, his arms thicker than Wu Xian’s thighs, veins bulging prominently on his forearms and biceps, his muscle definition sharply visible through his tank top.

But Su Mi seemed a bit dim.

Everyone else had already chosen their rooms; he hadn’t decided yet, so he picked the study—least crowded—to balance things out.

While they opened the door.

Perhaps the “Willow” in Willow Manor had nothing to do with willow trees; in the real world, there were legends calling spirit-snakes “Willow Immortals”—maybe the Willow in Willow Manor was the Willow Immortal’s Willow.

Zhao Xiaofu fell silent.

Wu Xian looked at what he’d written and immediately felt it looked like chicken scratches.

All were short tales about snakes—stories like “seeing snakes in wine cups” or “drawing legs on a snake”—each barely over a hundred characters.

Liu Hui turned and left; only Liu the Scholar and Wu Xian and the other five remained in the room.

Sensing everyone’s stares, Su Mi scratched his head and protested: “Don’t judge me by this— I’m actually a big reader, not just a musclehead with no brains.”

Voices came from two men—one high-pitched, the other overly loud—and they were drawing closer, heading straight for this room.

“Looks like Su Mi was the first to pick the birthday gift—wonder what secrets those five small cubicles hold.”

The three women and one man all eyed Su Mi with suspicion—his muscles might be useless in the study.

Wu Xian hesitated briefly beside Su Mi.

They needed to sit cross-legged on the floor, writing with brushes at low desks; Wu Xian could barely sit comfortably, but Su Mi had to half-crouch to reach the table.

Eventually, he edged closer, patted Su Mi’s arms a couple times, testing the muscle’s quality; Su Mi cooperated fully, striking various bodybuilding poses for Wu Xian to observe.

“Master Liu, it’s so late to trouble you—truly sorry to disturb you.”

“If you try to fool me with more of this nonsense, don’t blame me for using a different cane.”

Footsteps sounded outside; faint voices drifted in—the five instantly fell silent.

He’d taken calligraphy class at school!

Wu Xian picked up the wolf-hair brush, ground the ink, dipped it, and wrote fluidly across the white rice paper, finishing a short passage in moments.

“Ah… web novels…”

Wu Xian suddenly understood.

These thoughts would have to wait.

Each of them had a few short model passages on their desks—just copy them to pass.

Helping the young master finish his homework was simple.

“I’m a servant of the Willow Manor, surnamed Liu, named Hui. My young master is playful and forgot the lesson left by the teacher for the Great Dowager. Tomorrow, the teacher will inspect the young master’s work at the birthday banquet—what should we do?”

“The young master specially prepared some light snacks for you—please don’t worry about your reputation. No one will come tonight, and these five guests will keep silent.”

Wu Xian and the other four quickly stepped back, clearing the doorway; the study door swung open and two figures entered.

“This is the young master’s teacher, Master Liu Lang, a learned scholar. Address him as Master Liu. Only if your work earns Master Liu’s approval may you claim your birthday gift.”

After finishing his speech to Wu Xian and the others, Liu Hui placed the food box on the lectern and turned to the Scholar.

Su Mi covered his face and shuffled away, hissing in pain.

Wu Xian saw the scenery outside—just like in the guest room, this was the Willow Manor, now reduced to ashes and gone.

Wu Xian set aside his doubts—no matter what conspiracy lay behind copying the models, he’d finish copying first.

“Hmph, if not for the Great Dowager’s sake, I, Liu Lang, would never have come here. Let me be clear—I won’t help that brat cheat!”

Wu Xian was stunned.

Du E and the two girls quickly found common ground and began chatting, getting to know each other better.

They knew the study’s drama was about to begin.

After sitting down, Wu Xian flipped through the model passages.

“Just a few short passages—why all this fuss? If the young master doesn’t want to write, why not just have a servant do it? No need for five people…”

But before Wu Xian could submit his work, he saw Su Mi stand up—his rice paper bore neat, well-formed characters.

The thin man first bowed to Wu Xian and the others, then spoke in a shrill voice.

The thin one wore servant’s clothes, carried a food box, and was as gaunt as a stick—yet not bony; his face was slightly unsettling.

A fresh blood trail now marked his face and neck—skin cracked and broken, beads of blood oozing intermittently.

“My young master learned you were coming to pay respects and had no birthday gift—he didn’t want the Great Dowager’s banquet marred, so he prepared several items as gifts. If you complete the young master’s homework, you may claim your gift.”

“Snake… Willow Manor.”

Crack!

Su Mi let out a cry of pain.

“You can’t judge a man by his appearance… this guy’s handwriting is actually excellent!”

Suddenly.

The fat one carried a long cloth bundle on his back, his face covered in acne, eyes bulging and vacant, with a few stray whiskers—he looked like an old scholar.

“Your writing’s passable, but there are mistakes. Even if you’re copying the young master’s work, you can’t be this careless.”

“This is truly art.”

The writing environment was just a bit uncomfortable for Wu Xian.

“How could we ask you to cheat? Just treat them as if they’re the young master, and give us a quick review.”

Then Liu Hui introduced the fat man beside them to Wu Xian and the others.

As they spoke, the two reached the door.

The two men—one fat, one thin.

Jiang Xianglan looked at Su Mi with new fondness—she preferred men who offered security over literary flair; Su Mi’s physique radiated safety, and his simple nature suited her perfectly.

Master Liu unrolled his large cloth bundle—inside were two more items: an iron rod and a spiked club!

“But the young master is childish, and the gifts are truly valuable—so you must pass a small test to claim them.”

Su Mi fell silent: “Uh… web novels like ‘Disaster Containment Center,’ ‘Guide to Weird Decomposition,’ ‘Heavenly Official Bestows Evil’… I love them all.”

“But…”

Just as Master Liu picked up Su Mi’s paper, he began shaking it violently—then frowned, pulled a whip from his bundle, and lashed it across Su Mi’s face.

“Really? What books do you like?”

The literary girl Zhao Xiaofu’s eyes lit up—she adored cultured men.

Having finished his instructions.

Though slightly crude, it was quite good for an amateur.

“These are the young master’s overdue assignments. For every passage you write, you get half a cup of tea to claim your gift.”

The next chapter might be slightly delayed.

The past two days were barely on time—I felt the quality dropped trying to rush, so for Chapter Three, I won’t rush to five-ten. Don’t worry—I’ll definitely post before six.

(End of Chapter)