How can this so-called "high speed rail" be so fast? This is truly terrifying.

If Dayao possessed this "high speed rail," they could send reinforcements and deploy armies in various directions at any time and with ease. For example, they could send the armies from the Protectorate of the South and the Protectorate of the Southeast to the north and launch an attack from there.

If what Princ.i.p.al Ren said was true, then this "high speed rail" could be considered a divine tool.

"This is the thing!" Tong Lan took out a book and flipped it open. Then, she pointed at the picture of the high speed rail and showed it to Tong Zhenye. "I don't know whether he is boasting or not."

Tong Zhenye stroked his beard and stared at the picture for a long time. He was trying to memorize the picture.

"Don't utter nonsense, Princ.i.p.al Ren is undeniably capable," Tong Zhenye replied with a deep voice. He was well aware of Ren Baqian's past achievements. Ren Baqian also had the most dealings with the Ministry of Work and he had certainly won his approval.

Ren Baqian's official position had also been changed. From today onward, he would be the princ.i.p.al of the Black Bamboo Academy. He would be the princ.i.p.al of Dayao's one and only educational inst.i.tution. His rank was Secondary cla.s.s, Rank 4. The speed at which Ren Baqian was promoted was unbelievable.

"He can't even beat me. I can make him fly with a snap of my fingers," Tong Lan pouted and said.

"You can't say that. Some people might not have exceptional fighting capabilities, but they could be formidable in many other ways. Great Xia has many of such people. Princ.i.p.al Ren is also one such person. Even I'm stunned by the things he said." Tong Zhenye shook his head.

"It seems that I have made the right choice by sending you to Black Bamboo Academy!" Tong Zhenye was quite proud of his foresight when he thought of this issue. Previously, Tong Lan's father disapproved of his decision to send Tong Lan to Black Bamboo Academy. From the look of it now, it seemed that he had made the right decision.

"I feel that I have become stupid after hanging out with a bunch of idiots every day. According to Princ.i.p.al Ren, stupidity is infectious. My intelligence quotient is being lowered every day." Tong Lan pouted with an annoyed look on her face.

Other than Tong Zhenye, the parents and grandparents of other students also asked them what they had learned in school every now and then. The main thing was that Ren Baqian's theories on all living things in the world had stunned them.

These days, their children and grandchildren had learned a lot of bizarre knowledge from the Black Bamboo Academy. They did not know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.

...

"Laoliu, let's go for a drink!" The door of a secluded courtyard residence was suddenly pushed open. A tall and burly young man wearing a robe strode into the courtyard.

A youngster sitting in front of a table in the courtyard was roused by these words. It had been many days since he last drank with his friends. In the past, he drank and had fun with his friends almost every night. Now, he studied and faced his homework every night.

"Let's go! That girl said she hasn't seen you for quite some time, and I bet she misses you!" The tall and burly man smacked the youngster's back and said.

Hearing these words, the youngster called Laoliu felt his heartbeat quicken, and he almost agreed to the other young man's invitation.

However, at this moment, he thought of Ren Baqian's words.

Do I really want to be taken care of by my family for my entire life? That girl is much more talented than me. Will her family agree to our marriage in the future?

Laoliu looked at his homework on the table and clenched his teeth.

"Forget it, I haven't finished my homework, and Yagui makes us do homework every day. If I can't hand it in tomorrow, I will be in deep trouble. There are still two more days until the rest days, and we can go drinking then."

"Yagui" was a nickname given to Ren Baqian by the students. A yagui was a monkey-like animal that lived in the Sixty Thousand Mountains. They were extremely fierce and had incredible strength and speed.

In the eyes of the students, Ren Baqian was no different from a yagui. He looked so skinny, but he was very fierce.

"Eh? Laoliu, since when did you become so timid? You are like those p*ssies from Great Xia!" The tall and burly young man was slightly surprised. In the past, Laoliu was very bold. He certainly had not expected Laoliu to become so timid after attending the Black Bamboo Academy. He couldn't believe Laoliu would rather do homework than drink with his friends.

"Get lost, get lost! Don't disturb me!" Laoliu jokingly scolded that young man. Following which, he turned his head around and continued tackling the mathematics questions with great bitterness written all over his face.

"3 times 9 is... 18, 7 times 7 is... 56..."

The next day.

"Bang!" A gunshot echoed across the Black Bamboo Academy.

"School medic!" Xu Wei's loud voice resounded through the air.

"Coming, coming." A bald man that was slightly skinnier than ordinary aboriginals carried a bag and walked out from the building beside the cla.s.sroom.

"Bang!" Before he entered the cla.s.sroom, another gunshot rang through the air.

"I'm going to shoot you bunch of idiots to death!" Ren Baqian's voice followed behind the gunshot.

"Use the black mud cream to heal his wound. I am going shoot him every five minutes!"

Two days pa.s.sed. Late in the night, Laoliu was sitting in a restaurant with a few friends. It had been five days since he last touched alcohol. Therefore, when he saw the wine arrive, he finished the entire jug in one gulp without any hesitation.

"Ahhh!" Du Laoliu heaved a long breath after finis.h.i.+ng the jug of wine, feeling invigorated.

"Why can't you come out at night recently? I heard you have to do something until midnight every day?" a voluptuous and pretty young girl asked Laoliu. The first question was asked with a chiding tone while the second question was asked with a curious tone.

"Sigh!" Du Laoliu felt a headache as he thought of this.

"Take a look!" Du Laoliu took off his clothes and pointed to his upper body. His shoulders and arms were covered with faint-looking circles that were much paler than the other parts of his body.

"They were caused by Yagui. My legs also have a few of these scars."

"Yagui?" Everyone around him was curious.

"The princ.i.p.al of the Black Bamboo Academy..." With a sullen look on his face, Du Laoliu denounced Ren Baqian's savage acts.

Everyone burst out in laughter. "Why don't you just quit school?"

Upon hearing these words, Du Laoliu became silent.

With a solemn tone, he said, "Brothers and sisters, I'm not as talented as all of you. Like what Princ.i.p.al Ren said, if I don't attend school now, I will become a good-for-nothing that depends on my family for the rest of my life. At least now I have the chance to overturn my situation..."

These words caused everyone to turn silent.

Actually, there were a lot of people that became the kind of person that Du Laoliu talked about. All of Du Laoliu's friends had frequently encountered such people before. If Du Laoliu was a commoner, they wouldn't really care about it, but he wasn't. For someone who came from an aristocratic family, it was a sin to become a good-for-nothing.

Du Laoliu wasn't talented, but he was a loyal individual and quite smart. Therefore, he was able to mingle well with all of them and they were also willing to invite him to socialize together.

However, they also knew that if Du Laoliu did not make some changes in his life, he would become a good-for-nothing in the future.

Hence, no one was able to rebuke Du Laoliu's words.

"Did you learn anything there?" the pretty young girl asked.

Du Laoliu nodded. Even though he did not know what the things he learned now, except for mathematics, could be used for in the future, he believed that they would be useful.

"Alright, next time we will find you during your rest days to have fun together." The young girl gave Du Laoliu a smile as her eyes lit up.

Du Laoliu nodded, feeling grateful that she said such words. Deep down, he promised himself that he would work hard and not become a good-for-nothing so that he could marry her in the future.

Following which, he stood up and raised another jug of wine. "Let's drink to our hearts' content today. Such a day is hard to come by."