Chapter 37: The Techniques Mastered by the Exile

These few days.

The scholar A De Ba Yi from the Amili Duo College of the Academy was unusually irritable.

But this time it wasn't because those ignorant desert folk kept coming to bother him.

But because a new neighbor had moved in next door.

It was strange.

A De Ba Yi's residence was not in A Ru Cun village; the houses here were also built by scholars previously exiled to A Ru Cun.

Normally, the people of A Ru Cun rarely come here.

So when the new neighbor moved in, he stood at the doorway and watched for a while.

These houses were the work of scholars from the Miaolun School, provided free of charge for exiled scholars.

Although these houses have been standing for a long time, their quality still far surpasses that of the houses in A Ru Cun.

When a sandstorm comes, he just needs to close the door, and nothing happens.

Although rentals are also available here.

But because the rent is high, under normal circumstances no villager would choose to rent here.

A De Ba Yi rarely goes to A Ru Cun; most of the time he just grabs a quick bite and that's it.

So he basically knows nothing about village affairs; the only people he knows are Uncle Anpu and Kantisi, and he doesn't know anyone else.

This new neighbor naturally falls into the category of people he doesn't know.

He now has one more neighbor.

His daily life naturally also saw some changes.

Usually

Although he is an exile.

A De Ba Yi still receives a stipend from the Academy each month.

It's not much.

But it's enough given the prices in A Ru Cun.

Thus he can be considered free of worries about food and clothing.

Because he doesn't interact with the villagers, he is basically idle each day, and most of his time is spent continuing the research he conducted while at the Academy.

In his words.

One day, he will make those arrogant sages realize just how great his research is!

From a certain perspective.

Being exiled actually turned out to be a boon for him.

Originally, when A De Ba Yi was at the Academy, each time he applied for funding it was rejected, or only partially approved; in the end he had to spend his own savings and borrow money from someone to finish his research.

When he published his research paper at the Amili Duo College, what greeted him was not praise from the sages or accolades from the fellow students, but a Discipline Officer.

As for the reason.

He violated the Academy's Six Cardinal Sins, specifically the taboo on 'human evolution'.

After review by the Chief Discipline Officer, it was confirmed that his research indeed violated the Academy's rules on this matter, and he was sentenced to exile.

After arriving at A Ru Cun.

Because the Chief Discipline Officer is said to be from A Ru Cun (a rumor, but many believe it), he came to dislike the people of A Ru Cun by association.

However, here he gained a rare freedom.

No one would interfere with his research anymore.

Moreover, as an exile, the Discipline Officers would no longer come to investigate whether he had again violated the Cardinal Sins.

Whenever his research needed money, he would casually sell a technique he didn't value, and the village woman with heterochromatic eyes would buy it at a high price.

Funding was sufficient, the research environment was adequate, and no one came to disturb him.

This was the research environment A De Ba Yi had dreamed of.

However, everything changed after that new neighbor moved in.

That guy is a desert dweller.

A De Ba Yi would not mistake him.

Although his skin tone is not as dark as that of traditional desert folk, there is no doubt he is a desert dweller, and moreover he is the A Ru Cun villager that A De Ba Yi despises most.

If that were all, it would be fine.

At most, he would avoid interacting with him.

But since that guy moved in, he has been clanging and banging things all day, even late into the night, shouting and yelling in the courtyard, doing who-knows-what.

A De Ba Yi went to his door to reason with him once.

The result was that the guy completely refused to listen to reason, and instead shouted like a barbarian.

"You're nothing but an exiled guilty scholar; what difference does it make between you and me, a desert dweller?"

"This is a house I bought with my own money; I can do whatever I want, and it's none of your business."

"If you keep making noise, watch out—I'll hang you from the Seven-Day God Statue at the village entrance."

Such a savage person, A De Ba Yi had never seen before.

You should know he is a scholar of the Academy; even though he is now exiled, the village chief and guardian of A Ru Cun still treat him with the same respect.

This is also the first time.

That a person from A Ru Cun would be so rude in his presence.

However, after seeing the boulder Luo De uses for training, A De Ba Yi decisively decided to endure it!

Someone who can easily wield a hundred‑jin heavy stone to train his body is not someone the present him can afford to provoke.

Just that.

After such a setback.

What it brought was something that made A De Ba Yi even more frantic.

This rude brat actually entertained a group of equally ill-mannered mercenaries at his home; drinking alcohol, eating meat, and singing was bad enough, but someone even threw up on his own doorstep after getting drunk.

Although someone soon came to clean up that mess.

A De Ba Yi remained extremely irritable, wishing he could fiercely scold Luo De.

Unlike the A De Ba Yi who was about to go berserk.

Luo De's mood, however, was very good at this time.

Luo De, you've offended him so much, is that okay?

Hearing the sound of things being smashed next door as venting, Dixiya asked with some concern.

Luo De told himself that he would have to deal with A De Ba Yi.

Is this how you deal with someone?

Are you not trying to anger someone to death?

It's fine.

Just wait until he gets used to it.

Luo De also heard the sound of things being smashed next door, and couldn't help but chuckle.

These past few days, he has been deliberately angering A De Ba Yi.

There's nothing to be done.

Who made him crave the technique in A De Ba Yi's hands?

"Plant grafting and hybridization technique."

This is the technique mastered by A De Ba Yi.

Through observation over these days.

Luo De was very certain.

The things grown in A De Ba Yi's courtyard are definitely produced through grafting and hybridization techniques.

"Illegal research on human evolution."

Thinking of the charge the Academy had placed on A De Ba Yi's head, Luo De also had a bold guess.

If one were simply researching plants.

According to reason, one wouldn't obtain such a broadly applicable charge.

Unless.

"This guy is probably like Duotuo Lei, conducting human body research!"

Luo De's guess is not without reason.

That executive officer, whom he greatly feared, was expelled from the Academy precisely because of conducting human body research.

For the Vitalist Faction, those usually involved in this charge are mostly for the same reason.

However, such matters are no longer within Luo De's considerations.

What he wants.

Just the plant grafting and hybridization technique in A De Ba Yi's hands.

Using this technique, he could fully attempt to produce crops better suited for desert growth and higher yield.

If successful.

Relying on the technological achievements, he would have the opportunity to obtain the Academy's special recruitment slot in advance.

The only trouble.

It's that A De Ba Yi probably developed some serious mental illness while researching; if he doesn't come up with some nasty tricks, he definitely won't freely teach his technique to Luo De.

(End of chapter)