Your Teacher I, am Hella Rich

Chapter 14 – A Clear Mind Devotes Oneself To The Upkeep Of Their Public Persona

With Milk Tea Small Crisp’s absence, Ji Xiaoli and Boss Yang exchanged a few awkward dialogues. The two tacitly excused themselves from the banks of Qinhuai River to put an end to the unpleasant lecture on PK-ing.

Ji Xiaoli mused to himself: It was you who left the team first!

Boss Yang thought to himself: It was you who teleported out from the Qinhuai River map first!

The instant the two turned their backs and departed Jinling City, they unanimously thought——

If Disciple/ChunHe asks about it, accuse the other party of leaving first!

When the afternoon rolled around, Ji Xiaoli accompanied Mrs. Ji to shop at the mall.

During the summer vacation, the mall next to Suzhou’s Pants Building* was packed with bustling tourists from all over. After becoming a nouveau riche, Mrs. Ji, like many middle-aged women, was particularly fond of purchasing gold necklaces, gold rings, and gold bracelets. The thicker the better. The bigger the better. The more valuable, the richer they seemed.

*大裤衩 Pants Building. It refers to the Orient Arc, also known as Gate to the East and Gate of the Orient. Pants Building is a nickname given to it by Chinese netizens for its resemblance to a pair of long johns.

With a string of large gold bracelets clasped on her wrist and a scarlet qipao of Su embroidery*, Mrs. Ji led her son out of a gold shop.

*苏绣 Su Embroidery is the general name for embroidery products in areas around Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. It has a history of more than 3,000 years. Find out more here.

Ji Xiaoli lugged around large and small bags alike, not daring to voice a single complaint. Seeing his mother intend to patronize a gold shop again, Ji Xiaoli hurriedly spoke up, “Eh, Mom, we’ve already purchased quite a bit today. So, let’s pick out some clothes for dad.”

Mrs. Ji enigmatically scanned her surroundings before leaning closer to her son’s ear to whisper, “Xiaoli, you don’t get it. Do you think Mom bought these to wear? It’s to preserve value! In the future, if our family ends up in straitened circumstances, you can still sell these. Gold is worth a lot of money. Do you understand? It’s worth more than those diamonds.”

Ji Xiaoli: “….”

“Mom! Why would our family be in a straitened circumstance?!”

Mrs. Ji froze: “Oh right, why would our family be in a straitened circumstance?”

Mrs.Ji couldn’t think of a reason for why she was so prepared for a rainy day. How puzzling. Was she just making an excuse for herself because she simply liked to buy gold?

Oh well, no need to think too much into it. Mrs. Ji glanced at her son and said, “Then I’ll buy you clothes. I saw quite a few sports shops earlier. Son, do you prefer Adidas or Nike?”

The mother and son went shopping for clothes again.

As evening approached, Mrs.Ji coincidentally bumped into her former high school classmate at the mall. They hadn’t seen each other in years, thus made a beeline for a cafe to catch up. The aunt’s eyes darted over Ji Xiaoli’s form. “Your son? How old is he? What a handsome lad.”

Mrs. Ji: “Not at all! He’s not very pleasant to the eyes and not good at academics. Nothing like your kid. I hear she studied at Fudan University?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Xiaoli is so thoughtful, helping your mother carry her things. It’s summer vacation. My girl is interning in the office building next door. I’m just waiting for her to get off work.”

Mrs. Ji: “Ah, your daughter works next door? Isn’t she about to clock out soon?”

As soon as her words trailed off, Mrs. Ji and her former classmate turned their heads toward Ji Xiaoli in unison.

Ji Xiaoli started sweating bullets. All his cells that had to do with intelligence came alive. His hair stood on end as he came to recognize the look in the women’s eyes.

“Mom! I remembered that I made plans with a friend for a gaming session tonight, so I’ll go home first! I’ll take the train back myself. Let Uncle Li drive you home!”

The aunt’s eager eyes dimmed when she heard the words “gaming session”. Mrs. Ji chided her son internally for behaving immaturely, but she acquiesced, “Be careful on your way home. Don’t rush!”

Ji Xiaoli returned home in a state of shock. He hastily updated his WeChat Moments.

『Roasted Psyduck: Halp, nearly got set up on a blind date….』

A meme of Psyduck cradling its head was accompanied by densely packed words: ihazbrainpainihazbrainpainihazbrainpain….

After having dinner, Ji Xiaoli went online and immediately received a PM from Milk Tea Small Crisp.

【Milk Tea Small Crisp: Come here.】

Ji Xiaoli joined the team and tabbed the ‘follow’ button. The blue-clothed swordsman straddled a golden mount and proceeded to track down Milk Tea Small Crisp with its auto-pathfinding function. When Ji Xiaoli located his disciple, he realized that he was on the broken bridge by the West Lake in Hangzhou.

The fragrance of the shore dawns in spring, the sun dapples the stream and casts a reflection on the surface of the waters.

The peerless and aloof white-robed Emei stood motionless on the bridge. The boatman’s daughter could be heard singing a humble and clear tune from the West Lake. What a familiar scene. Ji Xiaoli had a fleeting recollection of the moment that took place earlier in the day. His disciple was also in an upright position when standing by the Qinhuai River in Jinling when their eyes met.

Hold on, it can’t be…

Within the next second, a black steed approached from a distance. The moment Boss Yang who was clad in a black ensemble got to his feet, he jabbed his finger at Ji Xiaoli and accused: 【It was your master who didn’t want to learn in the first place. It wasn’t me who was lazy!】

Ji Xiaoli: “……”

Holy shit, what venomous slander!!!

【Teacher Orders a Salute: Don’t listen to his nonsense, disciple. He’s the one who quit the team first and wanted to leave!】

【Yang Xiu: You were the one who left Qinhuai River first!】

【Teacher Orders a Salute: That’s because I went to Bianjing and my teleport NPC was much closer than you!!!】

【Yang Xiu: It was you! It was you!!!】

The two were about to start trash talking each other when Milk Tea Small Crisp interjected: 【How did it go?】

…So, he wasn’t interested in denouncing them for their crimes?

Ji Xiaoli and Boss Yang released a pent-up, shallow breath.

Ji Xiaoli: 【Alright…】

Boss Yang: 【I don’t think he can compete against me, but he should have no problems against Youquan’s with weaker mechanical skills than me.】

Ji Xiaoli stared incredulously at Boss Yang. Where’s your faith in me!

Milk Tea Small Crisp had a simple proposition: 【Fight.】

Ji Xiaoli anxiously sent a request to duel* with Yang Xiu. Boss Yang was also sweating profusely as he calculated how to throw* the duel under YueJian ChunHe’s nose. After pondering for a while, he thought: Shit, whatever! There was no way to hide it from ChunHe anyway.

*切磋 Duels are a way to provide players with a legal way to PK, through which players can compete with each other 1v1, not only for equipment but also for skills and position of the competition; players do not need to worry about the red name punishment in this mode.

*放水 Games that are deliberately lost are called thrown games.

The trio was unaware as the sky gradually darkened and lights flickered on.

The normally sparsely populated West Lake was teeming with players. Crowds gradually showed up in droves, converging upon the broken bridge. Someone set off fireworks amidst the sound of dripping paddles and the reflection of light on the lake.

Fireworks valued at 128RMB soared into the sky with a deafening rumble.

The pure black of twilight was lit up by the RMB that bloomed into a million stars, illuminating half the city of Hangzhou.

Ji Xiaoli and Yang Xiu were confirming the duel when the fireworks were set off. Milk Tea Small Crisp was perplexed by the unfolding events. Boss Yang suddenly had a recollection: 【Crap, I remember now. Bei Yuan and Sword Dog are getting married at West Lake tonight!】

Ji Xiaoli also recalled the incident.

This did not prompt any response from Milk Tea Small Crisp as he was offline when the World chat exploded into a discussion.

He had no interest in the matter. The only thing he was remotely interested in was: 【Start PK-ing.】

【Teacher Orders a Salute: ……】

【Yang Xiu: ……】

Meanwhile, on the West Lake, fireworks flared like the sun.

Several players excitedly rushed over to spectate the commotion as a blue-attired swordsman and a black-clad Youquan fiercely engaged in a battle on the broken bridge.

Others were admiring the view of the fireworks as they were throwing hands. No matter how you tried to analyze the situation, they were here to wreak havoc on the scene.

【Current】 Ayurveda Smiles: Eh, Boss Yang is one of the two players!

【Current】Devoted to A$$ Kissing: Why is Boss Yang here to PK with someone? Could he be here to mess things up for Boss Bei Yuan? He and Boss Yue are good friends.

【Current】 Ayurveda Smiles: He’s also a sworn enemy of Boss Sword!

Borrowing Heaven’s Sword and Bei Yuan naturally also spotted Yang Xiu.

Everyone was watching the fireworks. They were the only ones in combat. Even the blind could tell something was up.

【Private】Borrowing Heaven’s Sword: Hehe, here to pick a quarrel?

【Private】Bei Yuan: Yang Xiu, why are you here?

Yang Xiu unexpectedly went invisible, concealing himself in the void. Per Boss Yang’s tutelage, Ji Xiaoli hurriedly opened a shield for himself. It was a pity Boss Yang’s damage was too high. The moment he had reappeared, Ji Xiaoli immediately dodged but was still overwhelmed by Boss Yang’s slash.

Once Yang Xiu finished off the other party, he finally had time to read through the private messages he received.

To Borrowing Heaven’s Sword: 【Hehe, would laozi really let you know if I wanted to pick a quarrel with you?】

To Bei Yuan: 【None of your damn business.】

Ji Xiaoli scrambled to his feet as Milk Tea Small Crisp approached while healing the two. 【There are many flaws, but it would suffice against that Youquan. Yang Xiu is too well-equipped, which was the reason why you couldn’t fight back. You should have no problems killing that Youquan.】

At this time, the fireworks finished setting off.

Borrowing Heaven’s Sword released 99 fireworks worth 128 yuan. Bei Yuan, likewise, set off 99 fireworks worth 68 yuan.

The couple, decked out in resplendent red that served as ceremonial robes, rode out of West Lake. They then walked across the broken bridge, at which point Milk Tea Small Crisp mentored Ji Xiaoli on his PK weaknesses. He was not familiar with the Youquan PK technique, but he was well-versed in Huashan’s technique. Ji Xiaoli pulled out a booklet and jotted down his disciple’s words.

With the departure of Bei Yuan and Borrowing Heaven’s Sword, the players on the shores of the West Lake also followed them to Jinling City to party at the wedding feast.

Yang Xiu PM-ed YueJian ChunHe and spilled the tea on the private messages he received from both Borrowing Heaven’s Sword and Bei Yuan. YueJian ChunHe replied with only one sentence.

【YueJian ChunHe: You haven’t blocked them?】

【Yang Xiu: ……】

Holy crap, that’s right. Why didn’t laozi just block them?!

The teenage highschooler from Fujian immediately blocked them.

Perhaps it was because the screwed-up mess was solved. Boss Yang was in high spirits, and was in the mood to crack a joke about a certain someone to Ji Xiaoli.【Aiih, little shifu, have you noticed that our region is the least gossipy in “Knight Errant Road”?】

Ji Xiaoli was startled: 【Really?】

【Of course! You see for yourself in the forum. Which region doesn’t come up with an 818* every couple of days? Even an insignificant, small region can 8 out a hot post. It’s only in our region where you won’t find anything!】

*818 is a phonogram for 扒一扒(bā yī bā) and is a Chinese internet slang that mainly refers to gossip. 

Ji Xiaoli combed the forum and discovered that it was exactly as Yang Xiu had claimed.

【How could this be? Our region is the largest in “Knight Errant Road”. Even our average cultivation is a good deal above the other regions.】

【Yang Xiu: Why? It’s obviously because of a certain Boss Yue.】

After typing this line, Yang Xiu sneaked a sly peek at Milk Tea Small Crisp’s avatar, and after observing that the other party did not move, he continued typing: 【This is because of a certain Boss Yue who is dedicated to cultivation. He guided the players in our entire region with just one word in his head——cultivation, cultivation, cultivation! Emei da shijie’s confession was rejected. If this were any other region, it would have been an 818 disaster of cosmic proportions. This bastard ChunHe is so ascetic. He’s not seeing anyone. He doesn’t cheat some young girl’s feelings. There is just no gossip! Can’t he get into a scandal?!】

Milk Tea Small Crisp addressed Ji Xiaoli: 【Let’s go. You still need equipment.】

Yang Xiu was rooted to the spot: 【Then… I’ll be leaving now!】 After saying his piece, the Youquan da shixiong mounted his horse and fled with his tail between his legs.

Ji Xiaoli watched as the other left before he remarked to his disciple:【Hmph! Not cheating young girls?】

YueJian ChunHe did a double-take. For a moment, he could not even react to who Ji Xiaoli was talking about.

【Teacher Orders a Salute: Ascetic! That scum YueJian ChunHe. Indeed, he doesn’t cheat the feelings of girls but he will pretend to be a girl to cheat others!!!】

Boss Yue breathed a sigh of relief. He thought his cover had been blown.

【Teacher Orders a Salute: Disciple, you should keep your eyes open. Don’t be like Boss Yang and mistake someone’s character!】

YueJian ChunHe snapped out of his reverie when he realized his identity was still intact.

Looking at the sand sculpture little shifu who was as enraged as a pufferfish, the corner of his lips hooked upward as he calmly typed: 【Who had he fooled?】