There is a god in the sky

Chapter 210 Ghosts or Monsters 3

Xiao Ji decided to go to the academy to ask.

According to Qian Lao Er, Qian An left home ten days ago to study at the academy.

He likely died at the academy.

Qian Lao Er originally planned to bury his son before going up the mountain to argue, but now Xiao Ji has ordered him to stay at home.

He cried and wailed to the guards, originally believing that his son had been harmed by demons and monsters, but now that he saw that the government was not lying through its teeth in the investigation, he felt a glimmer of hope.

If a thief were to harm his son, he would make the thief pay a thousandfold!

"Thank you for leading the way. We need to go to the academy to ask questions. Uncle Qi, you can go down the mountain on your own."

Xiao Ji heard the villagers call him Seventh Uncle, so he started calling him that too.

This startled Qian Qi, who quickly replied, "I dare not accept such praise. This path is difficult to walk on, and there are many forks in the road. Let me take you up the mountain instead."

"Alright, thank you for your trouble."

"It should be."

The group continued up the mountain.

The higher you go, the harder the road becomes, which shows that very few people travel this route on ordinary days.

Xiao Ji and Shen Lan lagged behind, stopping from time to time to look around.

It rained a few days ago, and the mountain road was muddy. If the murderer came down from the mountain, he would definitely have left footprints.

Xiao Ji asked Qian Qi, who was leading the way, "When was the last time you traveled this road?"

"That's been a long time, probably about a month."

Shen Lan then asked, "Do you hunt over a wide area?"

"Hey, it's just down halfway up the mountain. We catch small animals there to give the family a change of pace. This area up here is the academy's territory, and they don't usually let us come up here."

Xiao Ji tore a strip of cloth from a thorny branch by the roadside; it was made of cotton or linen.

Shen Lan peeked out and said, "It must have been left a long time ago."

"Hmm." He threw away the strip of cloth, parted the grass, and picked up a calligraphy brush.

The bristles of the brush are worn out, but the handle looks quite new and has the mark of Yishan Academy on it.

"By the way, there's a Listening Wind Cliff on the fork in the road to the right. I heard that the scholars of the academy like to go there to compose poems."

However, it's too cold this time of year; probably not many people will go.

Shen Lan looked at the traces on the road and instinctively felt something was amiss, but she couldn't figure it out for the time being.

She followed the group uphill.

There was a steep and slippery slope. Xiao Ji turned around and reached out his hand to her, "Miss Shen, watch your step."

Shen Lan looked up and saw that all the officials in front of her had turned around and were staring at them intently.

Shen Lan didn't offer any help, but smiled and thanked her, saying, "Thank you, I can manage on my own."

Xiao Ji withdrew his hand, broke off a branch from the tree, prepared it, and handed it to her, saying, "Take this."

"Thank you, Lord Xiao."

Xiao Ji wasn't used to her being so polite, but he also knew that they should keep their distance.

When they finally emerged from the side path, they looked out and saw the entire capital city seemingly lying prostrate at their feet, stretching to the horizon.

"This academy is really high up," Shen Lan said, feeling the biting cold wind.

"Yishan Academy was built by the founding emperor's tutor. It is said that when the country was not at peace, the location was chosen in this deep mountain to prevent the students from being harmed."

Later, most of the first batch of students who graduated from the academy went on to serve as officials in various places, laying a solid foundation for the Da Xi Dynasty.

Over the past century, students have come and gone at the academy, and several headmasters have changed, but the idea of ​​moving the place has never been mentioned.

Shen Lan turned around and looked.

In front of the grand mountain gate stands a memorial archway, with the inscription on the left: "To establish a heart for heaven and earth" and on the right: "To establish a destiny for the people."

Above are the four large, gold-plated characters “Yishan Academy”. Although the word “reading” is not mentioned at all, it reveals the ultimate goal of reading.

Beneath the archway, the steps are covered with writing.

"These are ninety-nine steps. Every student who enrolls must climb up from here, which signifies a smooth and successful career."

Shen Lan smiled and said, "Does this mean it was added by later generations?"

How could a school whose mission is to provide for the people be thinking about getting promoted and making money?

Xiao Ji thought about it carefully, "It really is true, it seems to be the rule set by this Headmaster Tong."

"A meteoric rise to success? Every student would be eager to try that."

Shen Lan turned her head and asked curiously, "Did you study at this academy, sir?"

Since it is the best academy, a prodigy like Xiao Ji should be the key student to be recruited.

Xiao Ji shook his head: "The Xiao family has a clan school."

"So it is said that in terms of academic ability, natural talent is more important."

“Talent and hard work are both indispensable,” Xiao Ji retorted.

Qian Qi turned back after reaching this point.

Seeing that Shen Lan was neither flushed nor out of breath, Officer Xing asked curiously, "Isn't Counselor Shen tired?"

"It's okay, I'm used to it."

Hiking is an everyday activity for people who grew up in Aoki Prefecture.

She was the first to walk up the steps, and everyone hurriedly followed, not wanting a woman to get ahead.

Once you stand on the last step, a bright and open view suddenly appears before you.

The academy is built against the mountain, with rows of two-story buildings spreading out on the mountainside, creating an impressive sight.

The deep tolling of the bell echoed through the academy, one chime after another.

"It seems we've arrived just in time."

Students gradually emerged from the classroom.

They were all dressed in wide-sleeved, colorful robes and black turbans, exuding a scholarly air.

Shen Lan spotted Liu Xianyang immediately. He was short and had a youthful face, making him stand out among the students.

Only when a white-bearded teacher came out did Xiao Ji step forward and bow: "Teacher Li, is Headmaster Tong in the academy?"

"Eh? You are... Xiao Ji." Master Li recognized him and returned the greeting, saying, "So it's Lord Xiao, what a rare guest! Headmaster Tong is here, what business do you have with him?"

Master Li had taught Xiao Ji for two years, and the two had a teacher-student relationship.

"Does the Master know Qian An?"

"Of course, he was in Class A, with excellent grades. He was the top scholar in the provincial examination and was also one of the best in the academy."

When was the last time you saw him?

"Well..." Master Li thought for a moment, stroking his beard, and said, "It should have been seven or eight days ago, when the classes had just started after the New Year. His work was praised by Master Sun, so I went over and copied it."

"I haven't seen him since?"

"No, why did you ask him about it?"

Xiao Ji stopped and sighed, "He's dead."

"What?" Master Li was shocked. He beckoned to a student, "Sun Wei, come here for a moment."

A middle-aged scholar carrying books walked over, bowed to Master Li, and then looked at Xiao Ji and the others with a puzzled expression.

Because it was official business, Xiao Ji was wearing his official robes, and all the officials were also in their official uniforms.

"This is Sun Wei; he lives with Qian An." Master Li turned to Sun Wei and asked, "Have you seen Qian An these days?"

"No, didn't he go home?"

"When did you go back?" Xiao Ji asked.

"On the first day of the academy, he said he had something to do at home and left in a hurry. He never came back. The students were planning to go down the mountain to visit him on their day off."

Judging from this timeline, Qian An should have disappeared eight days ago, but it's hard to say whether he died that day.