Chapter 1564: Passing the Message

Zu An looked depressed. What did this have to do with him?

Wait, that "Brother Xiu" sounded so familiar. Could it be...?

Just as the two swords were about to pierce him, a hoe suddenly appeared beside them. With a casual touch, it sent the two girls flying.

Just then, an old farmer, resembling someone from the Loess Plateau, stood in front of the two girls. "Nonsense!" he exclaimed.

"Mr. Seven... Mr. Seven," the two young girls stammered, falling silent as cicadas in winter after seeing him.

Chu Chuyan's eyes lit up. "Mr. Seven?" she thought.

That must be Wang Shuyang, the Grand Academician's seventh disciple. Her father had often spoken of him with immense admiration, saying he was genuinely dedicated to the well-being of the common people.

Chu Chuyan had also heard many legends about him and felt a deep, heartfelt admiration for someone of such noble character.

However, she hadn't expected Mr. Seven to resemble an ordinary old farmer, completely lacking the demeanor of a grand master.

But she immediately realized this was the most fitting image for him.

Wang Shuyang sternly admonished the two girls for a few moments. He didn't make things difficult for them, dismissing them with a wave of his hand.

Zu An cupped his hands in thanks, then introduced Chu Chuyan.

Wang Shuyang offered a simple, unadorned smile. "Miss Chu is indeed beautiful," he remarked.

While he said this, his gaze remained perfectly calm, as if even a peerless beauty held less appeal than the rice plant in his hand.

"Mr. Seven, what exactly were they arguing about?" Chu Chuyan couldn't help but ask curiously after returning his greeting. She couldn't help but smile slightly, remembering how she had just suspected they were fighting over Zu An.

"It seems there's a very popular student in the academy. I don't know the specifics; I never pay attention to such things," Wang Shuyang replied casually. Then, enthusiastically, he drew Zu An closer. "Mr. Zu, the concept of hybrid rice you mentioned last time truly enlightened me. Since then, I've traveled far and wide and found the male sterile plants you described, successfully creating hybrid rice. However, the descendants of those hybrid rice plants quickly revert to normal rice, making mass production impossible..."

Seeing him respectfully consult Zu An, Chu Chuyan's eyes widened. In her impression, Wang Shuyang was the foremost expert in agriculture; even the Grand Academician might not understand as much as he did in this field.

Such a figure was actually seeking advice from Zu An.

Wait, did Zu An even understand these things?

She prided herself on knowing Zu An inside and out, yet she had never heard of him possessing such talent. She worried that his uninhibited personality might have led him to bluff Wang Shuyang in the past, having fooled him.

She mused that she should have a serious private talk with Zu An later. Someone like Wang Shuyang was crucial to the welfare of the common people, and given his noble character, he should not be deceived.

She also worried that if Zu An couldn't answer Wang Shuyang's current questions, it would expose his lack of knowledge, and widespread gossip would severely damage his reputation.

To her surprise, Zu An confidently stated, "This is simple. There's a method called the 'three-line breeding system.' The male sterile plant you found will serve as the female parent. You also need to find two other lines: one called the maintainer line and one called the restorer line."

"The first line looks very similar to the female parent but has healthy pollen and well-developed stigmas. When its pollen fertilizes the female parent, it produces 'daughters' that look exactly like the mother, also with small, degenerated stamens, shriveled and deformed anthers, and no fertility."

"The other line looks completely different from the female parent, usually taller, and also has healthy pollen and well-developed stigmas. When its pollen fertilizes the female parent, it produces 'sons' that are more robust than both parents."

"Then, you cultivate a propagation field and a seed production field separately. The propagation field is where you plant the sterile line and the maintainer line..."

Listening to Zu An meticulously explain the details, Chu Chuyan was utterly bewildered. She considered herself intelligent, yet while she understood every single word Zu An spoke, she couldn't grasp the meaning when they were put together.

Could it be that he was fooling Wang Shuyang?

However, when she noticed the shock, delight, and admiration on Wang Shuyang's face, she felt uneasy. Had she opened her eyes to the world incorrectly today? Did Zu An really understand these things?

And to the point where Wang Shuyang, the world's foremost agriculturist, genuinely respected him?

At this point, Wang Shuyang clasped Zu An's hand and exclaimed excitedly, "Mr. Zu is truly brilliant! What I, Wang, have learned over decades pales in comparison to just these few insights you've offered!"

Zu An said somewhat awkwardly, "Mr. Wang, you are the true expert. I'm merely standing on the shoulders of giants, just talking theoretically."

He was telling the truth; these were just superficial details he had learned from documentaries in his previous life. He could talk about them generally, but if he had to implement them, he would be completely lost.

Wang Shuyang, of course, was unaware. "You are indeed humble, sir," he said. "If students in the academy could possess even one percent – no, one ten-thousandth – of your knowledge and character, it would be a blessing for the academy."

Hearing Wang Shuyang's sincere praise, the usually composed Chu Chuyan's jaw dropped in astonishment.

Even after Wang Shuyang eagerly departed to try out Zu An's methods, Chu Chuyan hadn't fully recovered, her eyes occasionally darting towards Zu An.

Zu An couldn't help but touch his face. "What, do I have flowers on my face?"

Chu Chuyan sighed. "I realize I don't really know you at all."

"Haha, there's a lot more you don't know. Your man is a thick book that needs to be slowly studied," Zu An said smugly.

Seeing his familiar personality from days past, a relaxed smile appeared on Chu Chuyan's face. "Pah, you're shameless," she scoffed.

The two continued their walk up the mountain, Zu An introducing her to each teacher's domain along the way. Having visited several times, he was already very familiar with the area.

He felt a slight regret that Jiang Luofu seemed not to be at the academy.

"That's Old Man Black and White's residence ahead, where Xie Xiu is his disciple." Zu An trailed off, dumbfounded, as he noticed a group of female students surrounding the courtyard. "What's going on? Is Old Man Black and White accepting female disciples now?" Zu An wondered. They walked closer and then saw what was happening.

It turned out that Old Man Black and White was admonishing and punishing Xie Xiu.

Meanwhile, the group of female disciples outside were chattering animatedly, seemingly discussing Xie Xiu, who was currently being punished inside.

Some female disciples thought Xie Xiu deserved his punishment, but they were immediately assailed by another group of female disciples:

"As a neutral observer, I feel it's wrong for you to slander such a bright, cheerful boy."

"I wasn't paying attention before, but seeing so many people in the academy slandering him made me look into it, and I ended up becoming a fan of this wonderful boy."

"If you don't love him, don't hurt him. And those who admire Brother Xiu, don't argue with others. Just enjoy your own fan circle."

"The person we love has starlight twinkling in his eyes, and a bright, sunny smile..."

"This old man is too much! What did Brother Xiu do wrong to be punished like this?"

"Are you crazy? Old Man Black and White holds such a high position in the academy; one word from him could prevent you from graduating!"

"Are we just going to stand by and watch him bully Brother Xiu? No, I'm going to report him to the authorities!"

"Yes, report him to the academy administration! If that doesn't work, go to the Grand Academician!"

The group of women grew more and more agitated with each word. Zu An and Chu Chuyan exchanged bewildered glances, wondering what exactly was going on.

Just then, Xie Xiu, who was being punished inside, suddenly spotted him, as if he had seen a savior. "Help me!" he cried.

At that moment, Old Man Black and White also saw him and was overjoyed, instantly appearing outside the courtyard. "Brother Zu, you've come at the perfect time! I've finally found a way to break your unbeatable strategy in the Gomoku game you invented last time! Quick, quick, let's play a round!"

Chu Chuyan was even more astonished. Old Man Black and White was renowned for his unparalleled skill in chess, but by his tone, it seemed he had previously lost to Zu An and wasn't reconciled to it.

Zu An smiled wryly. "My Gomoku was originally just a clever trick; of course, it couldn't fool a true master like you. Since you've claimed to break it, then it must be broken. There's no need to compete again."

"Winning is winning, losing is losing. How can it be broken just because I say so? Come on, let's try it! Xiu'er, quickly set up the board!" Old Man Black and White held onto him, his face full of eager anticipation.

Seeing that his master had no intention of reprimanding him, Xie Xiu was overjoyed and eagerly trotted over, carrying a chessboard.

"But I still need to accompany my wife to meet the Grand Academician," Zu An said, feeling quite a headache.

"Meeting the Grand Academician is nowhere near as interesting as playing chess. I'll just find someone to take her there," Old Man Black and White said, casually waving his hand and arranging for someone to come forward.

Chu Chuyan let out a soft laugh and said to Zu An, "Go ahead and play chess with him. My sect also instructed me to deliver a message to the Grand Academician privately."

Zu An was momentarily stunned, very curious about what the White Jade Capital intended to tell the Grand Academician.