Chapter 833: Impossible Bet
Murong Mingyue leaned against a withered peach tree and stared at the sky. It had been a very long time.
The winter here always came slightly earlier.
The northern wind was cold and caused Murong Mingyue’s face to redden. It also caused her heart to feel cold.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Murong Mingyue’s fists punched into the peach tree behind her again and again. Only pain could cause her vexed emotions to temporarily feel better.
“The clear and cloudless azure sky is like your heart now, filled with emptiness.”
Sun Mo wanted to display his literal talent, but the words he spoke sounded very dry instead.
When Murong Mingyue heard an unfamiliar voice, she directly wanted to leave. Her deer-skin shoes stepped upon the withered branches on the ground and created cracking sounds.
“Murong, it’s rare for us to be able to meet. Since you also like to observe the unpredictable change of the world, why don’t we have a good chat?”
Sun Mo acted as though they met coincidently, but he had been searching for this aloof woman for a long time.
Given Sun Mo’s fame, it was easy if he wanted to check the origins of a teacher. Moreover, if there were no unexpected incidents, she would become his colleague.
This was someone near the ancestor level. For many great teachers, they wouldn’t be able to have a friend of such level. At most, they would only become helpers for them.
But after Sun Mo asked around, he discovered that Murong Mingyue had very few friends. One could say that she was an extremely reclusive and antisocial woman.
If she had sudden death, she belonged to those types where no one would discover her corpse for ten days to half a month.
Fortunately, Murong Mingyue was beautiful enough. There would always be some guys secretly paying attention to her.
In her dorm, the library, the classroom, and this peach forest were places Murong Mingyue would often go to.
“You people from the Central Plains always like to beat around the bush. If you want to bed me, you can say it directly…”
Murong Mingyue cast a glance at Sun Mo with an unfriendly expression.
“As expected, you are direct enough. I heard that on the grassy plains here, there’s a custom known as marriage by capture? I wonder if I have the qualifications to participate?”
Sun Mo looked steady, but he was already extremely nervous in his heart.
(It’s over, it’s over! My posturing failed! Speaking of which, did this woman eat explosives earlier? Her attitude is so fiery.)
If it wasn’t for the fact that Murong Mingyue was so talented, Sun Mo would really want to give up. From the looks of her flushed face, it was evident she had been suffering the cold for quite a long period out here.
The more terrifying thing was that her right hand’s skin was broken and blood was seeping out because she had been punching the peach tree.
Would ordinary people do something like that?
Could she have some intermittent mental illnesses?
Or?
Did she fall out of love?
When he thought of this, Sun Mo suddenly felt somewhat happy.
Because she was wearing padded clothes, Murong Mingyue’s figure couldn’t be seen clearly, but her face was simply too beautiful. Just her face alone was enough to mesmerize everyone.
Once Sun Mo thought about this excellent woman being in love with someone, Sun Mo wanted nothing more than to beat her boyfriend up.
Sigh!
This damnable possessiveness!
“Sorry, I don’t like your face.”
Murong Mingyue’s lips twitched as she surveyed Sun Mo from top to bottom. “It’s too ugly.”
Sun Mo started before smiling bitterly. “Do you have to be so direct? My self-esteem wouldn’t be able to endure your trampling.”
“If you have the guts to chase a girl, why wouldn’t you have the magnanimity to hear a malicious talk from her?”
Murong Mingyue felt disdain.
“Tell me how handsome and how great your boyfriend is then, why do you feel so sorrowful here?”
Sun Mo touched his face.
“Boyfriend?”
Murong Mingyue frowned. There was no such term in the barbarian race’s dictionary. However, such a simple-to-understand term didn’t stop her from comprehending the meaning.
“I don’t have one.”
Murong Mingyue didn’t plan to explain, but as a woman who was as pure as jade, she didn’t want to be misunderstood.
“Well, you have one now. What do you think of me?”
Sun Mo teased.
Bang!
Murong Mingyue had a cold look on her face. She looked at Sun Mo and caused a peach tree beside her to explode from her punch.
Wood shavings flew about like snowflakes.
“Teacher Sun, what do you want exactly?”
Murong Mingyue asked.
“I’m just not convinced. Can’t an average-looking guy have love?”
Sun Mo’s tone was filled with indignance.
Murong Mingyue turned and left.
“Damn, what should I do now?”
Sun Mo felt a little dumb. His replies earlier came from a few books about wooing women from his past world.
Murong Mingyue was clearly not in a good mood. Hence, Sun Mo wanted to include some impromptu comic material to make her happy. Doing so, their relationship would definitely become better… Or so he thought.
Little did Sun Mo know that she didn’t like this style at all.
“If you are handsome, girls would like to hear whatever you say. If you are ugly, even if you say sweet things to her for a hundred days, it would be useless. You would only disgust her.”
The system chortled.
“Can I spam money?”
Sun Mo rolled his eyes.
“Do you feel that this woman lacks money?”
The system spoke in contempt.
Sun Mo’s lips twitched and he couldn’t be bothered to think of any more ‘patterns’. “Murong Mingyue. I wish to headhunt you to a famous school in the Central Plains.”
Upon hearing this loud shout that was filled with sincerity, Murong Mingyue actually halted her steps. If she could leave the Dragon Subduing Academy and start a new life, things wouldn’t be bad, but…
“As long as you are willing to join, you can state any conditions you want.”
Sun Mo went all out.
Murong Mingyue turned and looked at Sun Mo who was 20+ meters away from her. His eyes were filled with so much spirit. He was a man with dreams, dynamism, and goals.
(Unlike me…)
“Don’t you people from the Central Plains love to recite poems the most? If you can create a poem within ten breaths of time and I’m satisfied with it, I will go with you.”
After Murong Mingyue finished speaking, she started counting down.
“Ten!”
“Nine!”
…
“Wait a minute, what sort of standard is ‘satisfaction’?”
Sun Mo wanted to drag the time out, but Murong Mingyue completely ignored him and her calm voice continued counting down.
The withered peach blossom forest was even more desolate now.
“Damn, do you think you are Cao Pi? Wanting me to create a poem with a few steps?”
Sun Mo mentally mused. (If I were Cao Zhi, I would strangle Cao Pi to death before creating a poem.)
“Five!”
“Four!”
…
Let alone in the modern era where poets were already extremely rare, even in the ancient era, people who could create a poem in ten breaths of time were all absolute geniuses in poetry.
So, Sun Mo racked his brains.
“Times up.”
Murong Mingyue cast a glance at Sun Mo and turned to leave.
(You should know your standards now, right?)
“Life is like a floating dream.”
Sun Mo recited.
If it wasn’t for him liking to read since he was young, even if you gave him 100 seconds, he wouldn’t be able to think of an appropriate poem.
One must know that for something like a poem, it depended on the concept heavily. If one didn’t recite the correct poem according to the situation, its charm would be greatly reduced.
Murong Mingyue was astonished. (You could actually do it?)
Moreover, this sentence had a grandeur to it. She was waiting for him to continue.
“The painted tower failed to live up to the beauty’s expectations!”
Murong Mingyue frowned slightly. The concept wasn’t bad, but the meaning seemed to be that of a love poem.
“I don’t know if we will be able to meet in our next lives. Maybe during our teenage years, by chance, as strangers!”
After Sun Mo finished reciting, he reflected on his words. It could still be considered matching the situation. In that case, what’s left was to speculate what questions Murong Mingyue might ask, and he had to give a logical explanation.
It was just that Sun Mo was thinking too much.
Murong Mingyue was a girl of the grassy plains but was also familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics. She had read many poems before, and her talent in literature was also extremely high.
The first two sentences of this poem didn’t have any extraordinary aspects, but when the third and four sentences were out, the emotions it contained were one of burning sincerity.
(We are not fated in this life, but we can be strangers who meet by chance in the next life.) It was a poem about a guy who loved a girl so much that he was willing to wait for a lifetime.
The simple four sentences caused Murong Mingyue’s mind to be filled with scenes of a love story. She was immersed in it and forgot to speak to Sun Mo.
“Ze, as expected, girls are melancholy as well as moody and would like such love stories.
Sun Mo’s lips curled.
After waiting for a few minutes, Sun Mo smiled and asked, “How is it?”
“All vernacular, no literary talent!”
Murong Mingyue evaluated, “But being able to come up with such a poem within ten breaths of time can already be considered not bad.”
Honestly speaking, as a girl of the grassy plains, Murong Mingyue might appear graceful and subdued, the jade classical-type of women authors like to write about, but there was still boldness, passion, and an unrestrained character in her bones.
With regard to gorgeous terms such as rose-tinted skies, sunset clouds floating with lone wild ducks, autumn water and the vast skies, etc…Murong Mingyue wouldn’t appreciate them much. Rather, she liked those clean and direct poems.
(If I love you, I’ll elope with you. If I hate you, we will cut contact forever.)
“Welcome to the Central Province Academy!”
Sun Mo revealed eight pearly white teeth and smiled amiably. With Murong Mingyue on board, the competitiveness of the Central Province Academy would be enhanced greatly.
“Wait a minute, did I say that I’m satisfied?”
Murong Mingyue’s expression was cold. But in her heart, when she saw Sun Mo’s smile instantly vanishing and his expression becoming bitter, she actually felt like laughing.
The annoyance and vexation during these few days finally dissipated by quite a bit.
“Oi, please don’t prank people like that!” Sun Mo felt a headache. “What do you want exactly?”
“Teacher Sun, do you really want to headhunt me?”
Murong Mingyue seriously looked into Sun Mo’s eyes. Although she didn’t understand why an intern teacher wanted to help other schools to headhunt her, it wasn’t important.
“Yes!” Sun Mo nodded heavily. “You can state whatever conditions you want!”
“Even if I bring a terrible calamity to the Central Province Academy, do you still want to headhunt me?” Murong Mingyue asked.
“I do!”
At such a moment, one mustn’t hesitate, but Sun Mo began to feel nervous in his heart. (What’s going on with this woman? Is she a headmaster candidate that the Dragon Subduing Academy is nurturing?)
If that was really the case and he headhunted her over, it would definitely trigger a war between the two schools.
After hearing Sun Mo’s reply that was so resolute and decisive, Murong Mingyue felt a little stunned. After that, she smiled faintly and touched the peach tree beside her.
“Sure. If you can make all these peach trees bloom, I will go with you to the Central Plains and give my utmost to the Central Province Academy.”
After Murong Mingyue finished speaking, she no longer had any interest in speaking and turned to leave.
(Sun Mo, you are too naive! You don’t understand anything about me, yet you dare to headhunt me? You will die! If you are smarter, don’t entangle with me.)
“Is there a time limit?”
Sun Mo stared at the withered peach trees and shouted.
“Three months!”
Murong Mingyue said, “If you can’t do it, you have to leave the Dragon Subduing Academy immediately.”
“Fine. That’s a promise!”
Sun Mo laughed. “If I can achieve it. From now onward, you will be mine for your entire life.”
“Mad man!”
Murong Mingyue mumbled to herself. This peach forest was something the headmaster’s wife had planted a few years ago, wanting to make them bloom for a good omen. However, the grassy plains were too cold and the climate here wasn’t suitable for growing peach trees. This was why all of them froze to death.
[1] Cao Pi and Cao Zhi are sons of Cao Cao from the three kingdoms’ era.
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