Wait a moment! Isn’t that person on the podium Zu An?

Shi Kun rubbed his eyes, fearing that he was seeing things.

He wasn’t the only one doubting their sight. Almost every single student in the room was staring at Zu An, eyes wide in disbelief.

“How did that fellow make his hairdo? It looks pretty cool. Should I give it a try someday? Also, what’s with the music? It’s really making my heart pump fast,” murmured Xie Xiu softly.

“Now that I’m taking a closer look at him, he’s actually quite good-looking. He looks much more imposing in this getup compared to his casual look,” added Zheng Dan.

“Why does this fellow look so much more pleasing to me than before? My gosh, I must be going mad!” Wu Qing sniffed.

Chu Chuyan finally started to recover from her initial shock. Her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her at all—that the person on the podium was none other than her husband. Despite her usually cold personality, she felt her face burning up. Had there been a hole right beside her, she might have just leaped in without a second’s hesitation.

“What are you doing?!” she secretly threw her voice at Zu An, her anxiety clearly evident.

Zu An shot a glance at her, but didn’t respond to her question.

Chu Chuyan bit her lips and carried on, “Stop messing around and go back!” 

She had never felt so embarrassed in her entire life before. All her life, she had always been the one in control. Even in the academy, she had a lofty presence that no one dared to mess with.

At this very moment, however, she felt like she was sitting on a bed of needles. She felt the entire class staring at her weirdly, their mouths ready with words of derision for the Chu clan.

Meanwhile, Zu An had taken his position at the front of the class, and turned to face the students before him. Noticing the furious blush on Chu Chuyan’s face, he put on a stern expression and said, “That student over there, please be reminded that class is in session. Stop sending messages secretly to your teacher in the middle of the lesson.”

“Ohh~” 

A commotion broke out within the class as they quickly figured out Zu An was addressing Chu Chuyan. Considering how the two were married, it didn’t take a genius to figure out what they were whispering to one another about. A little bit of drama here and there was always welcome.

However, not everyone was taking this well.

“Acting all chummy in public? Have you no sense of shame?” Wu Qing clicked her tongue in annoyance as she clutched the hem of her skirt tightly.

Zheng Dan also frowned at his remark. “It looks like the two of them are closer than I thought. This is a little bit troublesome…”

Chu Chuyan, meanwhile, had an overwhelming urge to cover her own face. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment as never before. What in the world is wrong with that fellow’s mind?

Wait a moment, did he just say ‘teacher’?

Shi Kun shared her confusion. He gestured at his underlings, but they unexpectedly averted their gazes, not willing to respond to him. Left with no choice, he stepped forward himself to challenge Zu An. “Take a look at your surroundings closely. You’re in the Sky class right now. This isn’t a place where someone from the Yellow class should be.”

It looks like these people are really inept. They are terrible at reading the situation! I really should find myself new underlings soon!

Zu An looked at Shi Kun with a playful look in his eyes. “Oh? Did you just say that this isn’t a place where I should be?” 

“Of course. A person should know his place. There’s nothing wrong with you being in the Yellow class; you’re simply born with inferior talent. However, it would be a grave mistake if you try to forcefully overstep your boundaries in the hopes of reaching loftier heights.”

Shi Kun was determined to trample Zu An all the way into the ground in front of everyone else. He wanted to see if the Chu clan would still accept that wastrel even after such a severe public humiliation. 

“Look at what you’re doing. What’s with that earlier melody and your hairdo? All your desperate attempts to raise your standing look nothing more than a joke to prodigies like us.”

He gestured to the people around him as he spoke, but a frown quickly formed on his face. The atmosphere in the room had suddenly gotten weird, and everyone else was looking at him peculiarly. Even Yuan Wendong had a hesitant look on his face.

What’s going on here? 

Shi Kun had a sudden, terrible premonition that something really bad was about to happen.

Chu Chuyan rose to her feet and looked at Shi Kun coldly. “Young master Shi, Zu An is my husband. Regardless of his level of competence, it’s not your place to criticize him.”

She might not be fond of Zu An, but she couldn’t bring herself to sit still while others insulted her husband right before her eyes.

Chu Chuyan’s act of standing up for Zu An served only to further stoke Shi Kun’s fury. However, he kept a tight lid on his simmering temper, maintaining the perfect smile on his face. “Young miss Chu, you have misunderstood my words. I don’t mean to criticize the Chu clan. I merely think that someone as outstanding as you should have married an equally competent man. That fellow over there isn’t worthy of you at all.”

“Marry an equally competent man?” Chu Chuyan burst into laughter. “Such worldly standards mean nothing to me. I think that Zu An is perfectly fine as he is.”

She was outstanding enough as she was anyway; she didn’t need her husband to be capable as well. In fact, an overly-competent husband was the last thing she wanted.

Zu An was deeply moved by her words. 

I didn’t think my ice-cold wife could actually be this warm. Ah? What’s with this sudden influx of Rage points?

To his confusion, Zu An realized that his System had registered a huge wave of Rage points. He turned to look at the students before him, and saw burning fury smoldering in the eyes of all the male students.

“Did he save the world in his previous life or something? How in the world did someone like him win the fancy of our goddess?”

“I finally understand why I failed to draw the attention of my goddess. It seems I’ve been too outstanding all this while!”

“Who could have known that our goddess would have such an unusual taste? Instead of outstanding men, she prefers those who are below average.”

“Tsk! You claim yourselves to be outstanding, but aren’t the rest of you nothing much when compared to Chu Chuyan too?” 

“What about young master Shi then? He should be outstanding enough for you, right? Yet, have you ever seen Chu Chuyan showing any interest in him before?”

… 

The barely-contained whispering amongst his classmates made Shi Kun’s eyelids twitch violently. This woman actually put me down in public!!! But why don’t I feel angry at all? Instead, it only makes her feel different from the other women I have met in my life.

Hmph! Anyway, it’s all Zu An’s fault! Just what right do you have to enjoy Chu Chuyan’s affection?

Sensing that the situation had ripened enough, Zu An cleared his throat. He was perfectly fine with hiding behind his wife’s back, but this Shi Kun guy was really getting on his nerves.

“You said that I look no more than a joke compared to you people. May I know which group of people you are referring to?”

Shi Kun was delighted by Zu An’s question. Chu Chuyan’s earlier interference had left him with no space to continue his attack, but this fellow had foolishly chosen to chime back in. Hmph, it looks like he’s truly a good-for-nothing who can’t possibly accomplish anything worthwhile. Just one small victory, and he lets it get to his head.

“Naturally, I’m referring to those of noble birth, or who possess outstanding aptitude for cultivation.” Shi Kun glanced at the crowd in the classroom. “To everyone in this room, you’re just a joke.”

With the standing and reputation of the Shi clan, he felt that there was no way those in the classroom would refute his words, especially not for an insignificant wastrel.

“Is that so?” Zu An turned to Xie Xiu and prompted him, “That male student over there who looks like a girl. Stop looking around, I’m talking to you. Do you think that I’m a joke?”

Xie Xiu gave him a constipated look. The last thing he wanted was to be implicated in this mess. Why the hell are you dragging me down with you? He glanced at the outraged Shi Kun before turning back to Zu An. In the end, he sighed deeply and said, “Of course not.”

In the first place, King Qi’s faction, which the Xie clan was in, was at loggerheads with the empress’ faction, to which the Shi clan belonged. This meant there was no reason for Xie Xiu to defer to Shi Kun. On top of that, Zu An was a teacher of the academy, which gave him even less reason to side with Shi Kun.

Satisfied with the answer, Zu An allowed Xie Xiu to take his seat before calling out another student. “That beautiful female student sitting in the front row, do you think that I’m a joke?”

Zheng Dan was rather pleased to be complimented ‘beautiful’ before the class, but being forced to publicly go against Shi Kun raised goosebumps all over her arms. She could only respond vaguely, “How could that be?”

Her fiancé was Sang Qian, who was currently on the same side as Shi Kun. However, considering Zu An’s current standing as the academy’s teacher, there was no way she would dare to openly label him as a joke.

That Shi Kun looks quite sharp-witted, so why is he being so dull-headed right now?

Zu An nodded in satisfaction before turning his gaze on Wu Qing. “Young miss Wu, do you think that I’m a joke?”

Wu Qing gritted her teeth. She was very tempted to nod, but having been done in earlier by this fellow on this very issue, there was no way she would foolishly leap into his trap once more. Besides, Xie Xiu had already made his stance clear. There was no way she would oppose her big brother Xie Xiu in public. So, she could only huff indignantly, “I dare not.”

Chu Chuyan’s eyes widened in bewilderment. What’s going on today? Why are these people all speaking up for Zu An?

Furthermore, some of them were on bad terms with her, making it seem even more ridiculous that they would actually side with Zu An.

The inexplicable words that Wu Qing had uttered to her earlier came suddenly to mind, accompanied by a chilling thought. That fellow couldn’t possibly have hooked up with Wu Qing, could he?

It wasn’t just Chu Chuyan who couldn’t make sense of the situation. Shi Kun was utterly dumbfounded as well. He couldn’t figure what was wrong with these people. Why are they going against me over mere trash?

After questioning a few other students, Zu An finally reined in his smile and glared at the flabbergasted Shi Kun. With an authoritative voice, he ordered, “Go and stand outside the classroom.”

The situation had become so ludicrous that Shi Kun exploded in laughter. “Who do you think you are? How dare you order me around?”

Chu Chuyan’s expression had become a permanently puzzled frown. What’s going on? This fellow is acting all weird today. No, it’s not just him, but everyone here as well!

Zu An sighed softly and said, “The rules of the Brightmoon Academy dictate that students who talk back to their teacher during class are to be severely punished. In the worst-case scenario, they can even be expelled from the academy. Do you think that my words are just for show?”

Actually, he knew that the rules could only extend so far. The academy couldn’t possibly expel the Sixth Young Master of the prominent Shi clan over such a minor issue. However, such a minor punishment would most likely be brushed off by the academy.

“You, a teacher?” It was as if Shi Kun had heard the most hilarious joke in the world. He was just about to say something when Yuan Wendong anxiously tugged at his sleeves to stop him.

“He really is the new arithmetic teacher of Brightmoon Academy.”

Shi Kun’s first thought was that Yuan Wendong was out of his mind. However, he soon saw a few others nodding sympathetically at him, and his smile immediately curdled.

“Bloody hell, why didn’t you say anything earlier?!”

Shi Kun rage was so great that it shattered his gentlemanly persona, and he cursed out loud.

“You didn’t ask us!”

Yuan Wendong felt an immense sense of injustice. Not a single soul in the academy wasn’t aware of this matter. Don’t you have a powerful intelligence network? How am I to know that you hadn’t heard of this?

Shi Kun felt so suffocated that he almost spurted out blood. Why didn’t Snow or Mei Chaofeng tell me about this? They made me embarrass myself before the entire class! No wonder the atmosphere in the class felt so wrong.

Fortunately, his sharp wits quickly dug him out of this quandary. “I just transferred over today, so I’m still ignorant about the affairs of this academy. Besides, you didn’t introduce yourself when you entered earlier. Therefore, I don’t think I should be blamed for this misunderstanding.”

Zu An nodded in agreement. “You’re right. I’m sure that you would feel indignant if I punish you just like that as well. Well, since that’s the case, why don’t we resolve this problem through arithmetic instead? I’ll conduct a test today, and anyone who can’t answer their question correctly will have to stand outside the classroom. Does that sound fair?”

Those words bowled over almost every student present in the class. The sight of Yang Wei failing to answer even a single of his questions correctly was still fresh in their minds.

Oblivious to the reactions of his classmates, Shi Kun’s mouth worked soundlessly for a moment, before he quickly accepted the offer. “Yes, that sounds fine by me.”

He took pride in being competent in both cultivation and academics. He didn’t think that he could be stumped by any of the questions Zu An could possibly come up with. Besides, this test involved not just him, but everyone else in the class. He was confident that no one else in the class would be able to answer a question that even he couldn’t answer. Surely Zu An wouldn’t go to the extent of sending everyone out of the classroom, right? His wife was one of the students involved, after all!

“Alright, listen carefully.” Zu An began posing his question. 

“This question involves two people, A and B. A only speaks lies whereas B only speaks the truth, but the two of them can only answer questions through nodding or shaking their heads. One day, you’re faced with two diverging roads, Road One and Road Two. One of them leads to the capital whereas the other one leads to a small village. It just so happens that A and B are standing in front of you at this very moment. However, you don’t know who is A and who is B, and therefore, you don’t know whether nodding means yes or no. Right now, you have to ask them a question and figure out which road leads to the capital. Given this, what question would you ask?”[1]

The students in the classroom gasped upon hearing the question. As expected, it was indeed a tough question!

Shi Kun was dumbstruck. Even after hearing the question in full, his mind still struggled to comprehend what was going on. After an eternity of struggle, he finally answered with a reddened face, “I don’t know. However, I don’t believe that any of the other students can answer the question either. I dare you to test her too!”

He pointed his finger at Chu Chuyan. Even if he was destined to be punished today, as long as Chu Chuyan was by his side, that would be pretty much a blessing in disguise. If you really want to send your wife into my arms, I’d be more than happy to take her.

Zu An walked over to Chu Chuyan’s side and looked at her quietly. Chu Chuyan’s mind was all over the place. She was still fighting to snap out of her initial shock, and the question Zu An had posed had stumped her as well.

She was famed as the number one prodigy of the academy for many years now, and was respected by all of the other students. If she couldn’t even answer a question correctly here and ended up getting punished for it, her reputation would fall into shambles!

Zu An could see her panic through her eyes, and a smile crept onto his lips. “Are you ready? I’ll be posing you a question now.”

“Go ahead.” Chu Chuyan had never felt so nervous before. Her mind had gone completely blank, having short-circuited from trying to figure out the solution to his first question.

Then, right before everyone’s eyes, Zu An asked, “Your question is: what does 1+1 equate to?”