After a night of rest, Ji Huai finally felt somewhat better at least the coughing had stopped. He definitely had a cold, but since he’d given Lin Heyu that ultimatum, he needed to set an example as a teacher by arriving earlier than that fellow.

The front hall of his courtyard served as the classroom. The space wasn’t large, with only a few desks and chairs arranged inside, confirming this was indeed a rural schoolhouse with less-than-ideal student recruitment.

Ji Huai stood with his hands tucked in his sleeves, his face flushed from fever as he watched the early morning light outside, trying to estimate whether it was already Chen hour (7-9 am).

Ancient times were truly troublesome no wristwatch, no mobile phone. For someone like him who strictly adhered to schedules, this was extremely frustrating. Fortunately, his biological clock still followed the hellish pattern from his senior high school days, waking at five every morning a habit that remained unchanged even in this ancient era.

He used this early morning time to browse through all the books in the schoolhouse and his residence, gaining much useful information.

It turned out this was a fictional dynasty Qing Country didn’t belong to any dynasty he recognized from history. From a general overview, some policies and national laws somewhat resembled those of the Song Dynasty. The original owner was also named Ji Huai a frustrated Cultivated Talent who single-mindedly focused on passing the imperial exams to properly establish his schoolhouse. This village was called Li Village, with most residents sharing the surname Li, and his was the only schoolhouse providing elementary education for village children.

Lin Heyu had been suddenly sent here one month ago, delivered directly to his schoolhouse. The steward who brought him had pressed some silver into Ji Huai’s hands with instructions to discipline him properly. Out of his dedication to teaching, Ji Huai had kept this mischievous boy. Actually, Lin Heyu was only three years younger than him.

Ji Huai stroked his chin, wondering what such an “older” student could possibly learn in his elementary class?

Could he be a servant from some wealthy family who’d committed an offense, sent here for reform?

It wasn’t impossible. Ji Huai couldn’t help but think of those drama-obsessed girls from his former class who’d constantly recommended various shows to him. During boring moments, he’d watched some those ancient dramas depicting how miserable servants in great families were. Orphans sold into wealthy households where they suffered hunger, cold, loneliness, and bullying.

Those who made mistakes would be exiled to rural manors to endure abuse until death.

An image of a tragic yet resilient poor soul instantly took root in Ji Huai’s heart.

Continuing his reading, Ji Huai learned the original owner had used all that money to renovate the schoolhouse while both teaching students and studying for exams himself until failing the recent provincial exam led to his death, conveniently making way for this wandering soul from the 21st century.

Having been an orphan himself who achieved success only through the support of neighbors and school teachers, Ji Huai reflected that while his sudden death at the lectern was regrettable, he was fortunate to have died doing what he loved most.

After graduation, he’d resolutely returned to his hometown, spending his entire life repaying others’ kindness through teaching. But now in this unfamiliar dynasty and world, he suddenly felt lost.

He knew no one here. These people owed him no debts of gratitude. So what meaning did his presence here hold?

He might never return to his original world.

Ji Huai felt a pang of melancholy as he absentmindedly continued flipping through the booklet. Neatly written in dense small regular script were the original owner’s teaching reflections and notes on student personalities. As he read on, he found himself miraculously resonating with the thoughts of someone who had lived centuries ago. On the very last page of the booklet, bold characters declared:

May my students spread their wings and soar across the skies. I will surely help them leave this confined place and journey toward a brighter future.

Ji Huai’s eyes grew warm with emotion wasn’t this exactly what he had believed? Wasn’t this his greatest aspiration back in the 21st century?

Yet he had been unable to fulfill his own wish. The Ji Huai of a century ago had also failed to realize his dream he had died in a 21st-century classroom, while the Ji Huai of old had perished in icy pond waters.

Emotions surging within, Ji Huai gently touched the thin paper, as if reaching the soul of that unfulfilled ambition. The confusion and fear brought by his transmigration to this unfamiliar world transformed in that moment into a driving force to live on here.

Since you harbored such lofty aspirations, I shall borrow your body to fulfill your regrets.

All uncertainty vanished. Ji Huai’s fighting spirit rekindled, and he found his reason to survive in this foreign world.

Wasn’t teaching and nurturing students the same everywhere? He loved being a teacher especially the satisfaction of shaping crooked saplings into straight, towering trees.

He had never feared challenges, much less a troublemaker like Lin Heyu. In his hands, there were no students beyond teaching, no rebellion beyond correction!

No sooner had he made this bold declaration, brimming with ambition and passion, than Ji Huai sat in the Schoolhouse’s official’s armchair waiting from early morning until mid-morning.

The sweltering wind, carrying the loneliness of emptiness, only made Ji Huai grow calmer.

Don’t be angry, don’t be angry. If you fall ill from rage, no one will take your place.

He comforted himself: perhaps the students thought he was still unwell and had stayed away to let him recuperate in peace.

But he had specifically instructed Lin Heyu to come! And now, with the sun already high in the sky, the boy was still absent how outrageous!

Ji Huai gained a renewed understanding of the boy’s mischievous nature. Outwardly composed, he still believed in the inherent goodness of people especially students not yet exposed to society, whom he saw as pure and innocent. Their misbehavior, he reasoned, simply stemmed from a lack of proper guidance.

Though he kept making excuses for the students and Lin Heyu in his heart, he couldn’t entirely suppress the simmering urge to discipline them. Sighing, he decided to go find them himself.

Unfamiliar with the area and finding it mid-morning when most villagers were out farming, Ji Huai had no one to ask for directions. Left with no choice, he relied on instinct to search step by step.

Fortunately, the village was small. Following a country path, he soon heard a chorus of chattering voices.

Under the scorching summer heat, tall willow and locust trees cast deep, cooling shadows. Standing by the roadside, Ji Huai lifted his gaze and spotted a tall stack of wheat sheaves in the shade.

And perched atop the highest stack sat none other than his problem student Lin Heyu.

The spirited youth dangled one leg over the edge of the wheat stack, the other bent with his foot planted firmly on the sheaves. Dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves, illuminating his sharply defined face. His bright, star-like eyes sparkled with the vibrant energy unique to youth.

“You have no idea how majestic the Fenglin Army is! On the battlefield, they take down enemies one spear thrust at a time like skewering candied haws! Especially the general he’s incredibly powerful.”

Lin Heyu remained completely unaware of Ji Huai’s arrival, still tirelessly extolling the virtues of his idol.

“Quit bragging, Little Bird. Have you even seen them yourself?”

“Yeah, right! Little Bird’s all talk.”

“My dad said they lost the battle and ran away they’re deserters, not the heroes you make them out to be.”

“You’re lying!” The hot-blooded youth couldn’t bear to hear his idol slandered. His joy from moments ago instantly transformed into blazing anger.

Lin Heyu’s eyebrows shot up as he roared, “What do you know? Your dad doesn’t know anything either!”

His young companions, startled by his sudden outburst, still retorted defiantly, “The town storyteller said so, and he’s a Cultivated Talent! He definitely knows more than you!”

“Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit! The village Teacher is a Cultivated Talent too, but he’s useless! I heard he’s failed the Recommended Man exams multiple times it’s downright embarrassing. He can’t even pass himself, yet he thinks he can teach us? What a joke!” In his fury, Lin Heyu climbed onto a haystack, hands on his hips, arguing with a group of boys much younger than himself.

Ji Huai from Yuyan Mountain: “…”

He was just an innocent bystander standing there how did he get dragged into this?

Besides, it was the original owner who failed the exams. For a top student like him, passing some ancient Recommended Man exam would be a piece of cake, easily within his grasp!

Just as Ji Huai’s temple vein throbbed from having his academic and teaching abilities questioned, a sudden shout made him jump. A series of crashes followed, raising a cloud of dust that settled to reveal Lin Heyu sprawled at his feet, staring up at him with dazed, mortified eyes.

In the heat of argument, Lin Heyu had been so agitated that he accidentally collapsed the haystack. The tumbling hay carried the unprepared boy rolling straight to Ji Huai’s feet beside the large tree.

The other boys scrambled away in a chaotic heap. Spotting Master Ji, they fled even faster, vanishing into the fields like startled rabbits.

Only Lin Heyu who had just been badmouthing him remained, locked in an awkward stare-down with Ji Huai.

“Lin Heyu.” Ji Huai looked down calmly at his disheveled student, suppressing a laugh while maintaining a stern expression.

Lin Heyu’s mind was still reeling when the green-robed Ji Huai bent down, gently plucking stray straw from his hair.

“What kind of behavior is this for a student?” Ji Huai couldn’t help but slip into lecturing mode with the dazed boy. “Climbing such high places what if you’d gotten hurt? Skipping class with other children too! And this Fenglin Army business at your age, you should be studying. Is it appropriate to constantly talk about fighting and killing? Arguing with other students too you’re something else. Tomorrow I’ll have your par ”

Ji Huai cut himself off, belatedly recalling that Lin Heyu had been exiled to this village. It was unclear whether he even had parents.

A wave of regret washed over Ji Huai. As a teacher, being mindful of students’ psychological well-being was paramount he must never reopen old wounds.

“Lin Heyu, that’s not what I meant ”

Before Ji Huai could finish explaining, the now-recovered Lin Heyu suddenly sprang to his feet, glaring at him with displeasure.

“Hmph, I don’t need you to care about me. If you can’t stand me, just drive me away. I don’t even want to stay in this shabby village anyway.”

Lin Heyu never wanted to remain here in the first place. Spending his days idly chatting with children younger than him made him feel like he was decaying. Those thrilling, adventurous days of the past were like a gust of wind impossible to grasp, impossible to return to.

The tranquil, backward rural life was gradually wearing down his spirit. He repeatedly recalled his days in the military camp, fearing that excessive comfort would make him forget the valor of the Fenglin Army.

Ji Huai’s “well-intentioned guidance” sounded to Lin Heyu like a denial of his past. Combined with the ignorant children’s belittlement of the Fenglin Army and the shame of being caught gossiping about someone, he could no longer contain his anger and vented it all on Ji Huai.

“If you have the guts, just drive me away. I’ve long wanted to leave this place. I want to go back. I don’t want to study what’s the use of studying? A real man’s ambition lies on the battlefield. Can pretentious words stop the enemy’s iron hooves? Can they block the enemy’s swords and spears? What’s the point of studying?”

Lin Heyu shouted with agitated fervor, like a young bull provoked into charging recklessly, unwilling to stop until it had battered itself bloody.

To Ji Huai, Lin Heyu’s outburst sounded like the ignorant complaints of a child. What rebellious youth hadn’t felt lost about studying at some point?

Ji Huai remained entirely unperturbed, quietly listening to Lin Heyu’s pent-up frustrations.

In contrast, after venting his emotions, Lin Heyu grew somewhat annoyed when he didn’t receive the expected reprimands, rebuttals, or curses. He panted heavily, trying to calm his rapid breathing.

“Whether you study or not is your business, but whether I teach is mine. Whether I can teach well is my ability. Lin Heyu, there’s no need to provoke me. I am a teacher, your Teacher.”

The expansive tree canopy blocked the scorching sunlight. Ji Huai stood tall and graceful beneath the tree, willow tendrils gently brushing against his emerald-green robes, his entire presence as upright and fearless as bamboo.

Lin Heyu was left speechless, staring blankly at Ji Huai’s calm expression. Of course he knew studying was useful his father had become Prime Minister through years of diligent learning. The Lin family was a vast scholarly clan with countless disciples under its wing. A scholar’s words could change the course of this turbulent dynasty.

He lowered his head in dejection, neither wanting to admit in front of Ji Huai that his words were nonsense, nor wanting his Teacher to see him in such a defeated state.

Ji Huai had no intention of pushing him too hard. Well aware of the principle of offering a sweet date after delivering a blow, he generously said, “I’ll always be waiting for you students at the Schoolhouse. I’ll give you time to think things through clearly. As long as I’m here, I’ll take responsibility for my duties.”Having spoken, Ji Huai turned and left gracefully, leaving Lin Heyu standing stunned in place to reflect alone.”

While claiming to give Lin Heyu time, this was also time for Ji Huai himself. Facing this student again made him realize this was a different world, not the dynasty he came from.

Perfect timing he could go explore what an ancient village looked like.