HEART PROTECTION: CHAPTER 113 - EXTRA
After Yan Hui and Tian Yao got married, they lived in Tian Yao's residence in Qing Qiu. They spent their days in leisure, observing the clouds and tending to the flowers in the morning and fooling around in the afternoon. But the days were too peaceful. Yan Hui started to think she needed to find something to do.
The second day after Yan Hui had that thought, Huan Xiao Yan came looking for her. The demon said there was a document Yan Hui had to get in order for an official to certify that she could live in Qing Qiu.
It turns out in these 15 years, San Chong Mountain wasn't a forbidden area anymore. Although there was still some animosity between the xian and demons, a few xian and demon cultivators fell in love with each other. Some demon cultivators brought their xian cultivator partner to stay. After there were a lot of these pairs, Qing Qiu set a new rule. For those xian cultivators who married in or chose by themselves to settle in Qing Qiu, they had to study for three months about demon history, get rid of any misunderstandings about demons, and understand demon customs to avoid any future issues.
It was a good rule. The demon races were heavily smeared under 50 years of Qing Guang's rule. Removing such negative attitudes had to be slowly peeled away to change the mindset.
Yan Hui didn't think much of it and nodded in agreement.
Huan Xiao Yan was a little hesitant after seeing Yan Hui's easy agreement: "The history teacher is very strict. He doesn't care who you are and treats everyone equally. Master, if you really don't want to learn, I'll get Zhu Li to talk to the king. You're a special case, so we can see if you can just get the document directly."
Yan Hui waved her hand: "It's just studying and learning a bit. There's no need to use backdoor methods right from the start. It'll be fine. I'll study. You don't need to help."
Huan Xiao Yan glanced over at Tian Yao who was reading a book. Tian Yao sensed her looking at him and said without even looking up: "If she wants to study, then let her study. When she doesn't want to study anymore, she'll naturally return."
Yan Hui fixed her eyes on him: "You're underestimating me. Just you wait. After three months of studying, I'll slap you in the face with the document."
Tian Yao raised an eyebrow and put his book down. He looked at Yan Hui: "And if you don't get it?"
"Then you can do what you want."
"Alright." Tian Yao agreed and picked up the book to continue reading.
"Uh........." Huan Xiao Yan solemnly looked at Yan Hui and added: "There is a test after 3 months. If you don't pass, then you'll have to continue studying......."
"No problem," said Yan Hui. "It's just a test. You're acting like no one has taken a test before. In any case, I was considered a child prodigy in this lifetime. There's no way some demon history will be hard for me."
Huan Xiao Yan's mouth snapped shut and didn't speak further. Only Tian Yao mildly added in while reading his book: "Yan Hui, actually you don't understand much about demons."
Yan Hui didn't respond. Didn't she already come in contact with a lot of demons already? She was already so close to that millennium dragon demon.
Yan Hui laughed: "In my last lifetime at Chen Xing Mountain, I never failed a test. Wait and see you guys."
Thus, Yan Hui signed up and started to attend class the very next day. The teacher was an expressionless female. Yan Hui's current skill level didn't let her see the teacher's true appearance. However, a few of her xian classmates told her that the teacher was actually a writing brush spirit, one that was even icier than an snow demon..........
"Take this book back and copy it 10 times."
That was the first thing the teacher said on the first day. Yan Hui was caught off guard and couldn't utter a word of objection when her classmates grabbed the books and started to head back. It looked like they were used to it.
"Wait, wait." Yan Hui hailed one of the students. "Thats......that's it?"
"Yep." The classmate nodded. "It's always been like that. Every day we come for role call, get our grades from the last class, and that's it."
"The teacher doesn't lecture?"
"That was it." The classmate waved the book and brush. "Go back and copy 10 times."
Yan Hui: "..........."
A mistake! From the first day after returning from class, Yan Hui thought she made a complete mistake!
The demons didn't know how to teach a class. They were used to hunting and fighting. Teaching relied on practicality, and no few demons steadied taught classes. Even if there were demons like they, they would go teach Zhu Li and his family. They wouldn't be doing things like teaching common demon history to xian cultivators..........
Yan Hui realized her mistake after taking out the brush distributed in class. It was said this book was written by the teacher on her spare time.......... Magic couldn't be used. You had to copy it by hand 10 times in order for it to count! And the worst part of being tricked into this was learning by rote memorization and being assessed on this!
That night, Yan Hui could only light a lamp and furiously copy while gritting her teeth and cursing in her heart. Tian Yao reclined on the bed and calmly watched her: "Want me to help?"
"No."
Yan Hui was resolute. There was no room for discussion at all. Thus, Tian Yao say another word.
Yan Hui continued to copy the book, and she spent entire night copying it 10 times. Yan Hui couldn't remember the last time she wrote so much. She finally finished by the time the sky started to lighten. She walked towards the bed, rubbing her sore wrist and neck, and looked down to see Tian Yao's eyes were still open and watching her.
Yan Hui was surprised: "You didn't sleep?"
Tian Yao didn't say anything and lightly tugged Yan Hui onto the bed. Then he wrapped her in his arms: "I can only sleep like this."
His arms were as warm as always. The moment Yan Hui fell into them, sleepiness immediately rushed over her. She drowsily mumbled: "Don't wait up for me. You can sleep first."
Tian Yao tightened his hug a little: "That's too simply said."
Yan Hui was gone for 15 years. Even though his body was completely intact, the hole in his heart couldn't heal. She even gave back his neidan and heart protection scale, but actually what really gave him his strength and protected his scale was taken away by her.
Tian Yao was only complete when he was holding her.
Even though Yan Hui was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open, she still lightly patted Tian Yao's back: "From now on, I'll always be here."
Tian Yao couldn't lose her again, and Yan Hui felt the same way about him.
Yan Hui had to wake up at around 5 am. Even though the writing brush spirit wasn't teaching today, she liked to check the attendance and make circles around each student's name. One circle indicated the student wasn't late. A student have to have 10 circles in order to qualify for taking the test which was in three months.
The writing brush teacher also liked to collect homework. For the 10 copies of the book assignment, she liked to examine the student's handwriting. When she saw good calligraphy, her eyes would gleam with pleasure, and she would give full marks. When she saw bad calligraphy, she would only give it a token glance and give a failing grade.
The teacher knew everyone's handwriting very clearly, so the students couldn't find someone to help them copy the book. All of the students came to class with tired eyes.
Yan Hui wasn't very confident in her handwriting. Fortunetly, the writing brush spirit wasn't very harsh and gave Yan Hui a C grade. It could grudgingly considered an average grade. Yan Hui just released a pent-up breath when the teacher coldly flung a book in their direction: "Those who got full marks have to copy this five times. Everyone else has to copy ten times."
It had been a long time since Yan Hui felt bleakness. At that moment, Yan Hui felt that feeling return.
"When will this day end........."
Yan Hui spend the next ten days copying books and sighing. Huan Xiao Yan watched from the side and said: "I'll get Zhu Li to help you."
Yan Hui's eyes brightened: "He can still help me?"
Huan Xiao Yan hadn't responded when Tian Yao cut in: "It doesn't matter if you want or don't want the official document. I can take you anymore."
Yan Hui was moved by his words: "Tian Yao......."
"Don't want to study anymore?" Tian Yao put down his book. "That's alright. Then let me hug you for a few hours." He reached out a hand towards Yan Hui, "Come."
Yan Hui: "........"
"Didn't you say if you didn't get the document, I can do whatever I want?"
Yan Hui gritted her teeth and hardened her heart. She picked up the brush against and continued to copy: "I'll copy them!"
Tian Yao let out a regretful sigh.
Thus two months passed by like this. Yan Hui copied books every day and eventually got used to it. Copying 10 times was nothing now, and she even got B's. The days towards the third month counted down. As usual, Yan Hui got up at 5 am to go to class. This time, the teacher flung out a book that was thicker than normal and coldly said: "Today is test day for completing this course. Copy this book 15 times and turn it in tomorrow. Those who don't finish fail the course."
What.........
Today was the test?!
There was no advance notice! And the test was to copy books! This was never heard of! What kind of group had tests like these?! Were the demons' teaching mothods really that random?! The teacher was just doing this because she felt happy about people using her writing brushes right?!
Yan Hui couldn't stop those kinds of thoughts from popping in her head. While she was trying to push those thoughts down, she automatically picked up the book and return back home in a puff of smoke.
Tian Yao was mediating in the room and saw her return with the smoke teleportation. Before he could say a word, Yan Hui charged into the study and furiously started to copy the book.
What a joke! She worked so hard up to now! She wasn't going to fail at the final task! This was no longer as simple as betting with Tian Yao! She was also betting her pride!
Yan Hui devoted her entire mind to copying the book. From afternoon to night, she continued to copy. Now it was deep into the night, and there were two more copies to go. However now her head started to get muddled. Yan Hui didn't even know what part she was copying anymore. Even more, she didn't know what the state of her handwriting was at this point. With each blink, it was getting harder to open her eyes back up. Finally, Yan Hui closed her eyes and fell fast asleep.
When she suddenly woke up from her sleep on the desk, she got a shock. There was no time to count how many copies there were. Yan Hui just hurriedly scooped them into her arms and raced to class.
She was uneasy the entire way. She only knew that the three months of effort were all wasted. Even though that was the case, she still wanted to hand the copies in. Then........Tian Yao could do whatever he wanted. Being unable to obtain the document was fate........
Yan Hui never thought that when she handed the copies over, the teacher counted them and actually opened them to carefully review. More to Yan Hui's surprised, the teacher nodded her head when she reached the last few pages and gave full marks.
Yan Hui was a little confused. The writing brush spirit's cold eyes finally regarded Yan Hui with a bit of praise: "You've done well, always improving. You wrote well. There's strength in your style."
So the teacher really was only looking at handwriting.........
Wait, this wasn't the time to focus on that part. Yan Hui shook her head: "I have 15 copies?"
"Yes." The writing brush demon gave a curt nod and resumed her normal chilliness. "Tomorrow you'll get the document. Next."
Yan Hui couldn't grasp what just happened, but she wasn't so stupid as to keep questioning. She just clutched the book and return back home. Speaking of home, Tian Yao just so happened to be taking a small nap in the rocking chair in the courtyard. Yan Hui watched him for a while. Her gaze traveled down to his sleeve. There were some black ink stains on the fabric.
Yan Hui suddenly understood what had happened. When she looked at the last few pages of the copies, the handwriting was very similar to hers. However, they had some cold vigor which her handwriting lacked. Yan Hui looked at Tian Yao some more and then sat where she stood, right in front of him.
Yan Hui wasn't sitting for very long before Tian Yao opened his eyes. The moment he saw Yan Hui, he reached his hand out towards her.
Yan Hui was accustomed to his almost subconscious gesture. She sat on Tian Yao's leg and let him circle his arms around her. The pair sat in the chair and leisurely rocked back and forth.
"Tian Yao, did you help me copy the book?"
"Yes."
"Why? Shouldn't you wait for me to not get the documentation, and then you can do whatever you want?"
Tian Yao's forehead lightly pressed by Yan Hui's ear. His voice still had the rasp of sleep, but it was still very stirring: "All I wish for the rest of my life is to make you happy." He hugged Yan Hui a little tighter. "I'll take you to wherever you want to go. I'll help you get whatever you want. Chase after your dreams to your heart's content. I'll be the path you run on. When you're tired and want to rest, I'll be the harbor you can rest in."
It was clearly just words, but Yan Hui mysteriously felt herself softening.
"Then what did you originally want to do?"
Tian Yao paused when he heard those words. Then he pulled Yan Hui's face back towards him and lightly kissed her lips. They were warm, soft, and quenching. "Do you want little dragons?"
Yan Hui's cheeks instantly grew hot: "Little dragon people........"
Tian Yao smiled: "Yes, you can also call them that."
"Right now?"
"If you want to........"
Yan Hui was still lost in thought when she suddenly felt herself being lifted up into the air. She was startled: "It's still morning!"
"I didn't sleep last night, and you didn't sleep well. Think of it as catching up on sleep."
Yan Hui could only helplessly laugh: "We don't have to catch up!"
Then her voice disappeared within the room. All that was left in the courtyard was the rocking chair still rocking back and forth in the sunlight. It was like a beautiful, idyllic painting.