Rebirth of a Star General

CH 44: When the Moon Was Bright

Before going to Xian Chang Hall to study, He Yan always felt that she was pretty good.

After entering the Xian Chang Hall, He Yan had doubts. Did she really take another step forward on her path?

All the students in Xian Chang Hall were children of noble families. Not only were they rich and powerful, but they also had a good family background. It was impossible to compare her family to those who were wealthy or relied on earldoms to live on. If it wasn't for the fact that He Yuan Liang was a personal friend of her mentor, her mentor wouldn't have been able to place her down through the back door.

On one hand, He Yan was very happy that she could enter Xian Chang Hall, but on the other hand, she was filled with misery about her daily life in Xian Chang Hall.

There was no reason other than her grades, which were a bit too miserable compared to the other kids there.

The He family had taught her to use men's etiquette and behaviour on the outside, but she hadn't learned much about the things inside. When she first arrived at the Xian Chang Hall, she was so ignorant that she was often at the butt of jokes and her tutor couldn't do anything about it.

If she said her liberal arts were better... It was because she had read and memorized a few more times, and listened attentively during lectures. She could barely get by with an average score. But when it came to martial arts, it was a total failure.

Since He Yan was a child, she had been sneaking off to the back of the mountain to help the monks fetch water to practice her hand strength, and she thought she was decent enough, resulting in her first martial arts screening test in the Xian Chang Hall to become a spectacle.

Be it bow, knife or stones, she wasn't qualified in any of them. She tried horse riding but fell down, and the arrows missed their target. Even the Instructor shook his head and sighed. The surrounding teenagers pointed at her and laughed. Someone said, "You aren't a woman, are you? How come you don't know anything? Are you usually at home learning to do embroidery?"

He Yan panicked and stood up from the ground. Patting the dust off of her body, she thought to herself that if it went on, her identity would be disclosed. If anyone found out her identity, she would be taken back by Madam He and would have to stay at home again. She was not sure if she would be able to do that, but it was better to study and practise hard to stay safely in Xian Chang Hall.

And hence He Yan embarked on the road of "studying hard".

There was no such thing as chiselling the wall to steal the light[1], nor was there such a thing as the sacred firefly reflecting the snow[2], or smelling the rooster and dancing[3], neither was there such a thing as hanging the beams[4]. He Yan often cursed in her heart while practising calligraphy, horseback riding, archery, and also handling swords.

She tried her best and could only struggle on the edge of her tail. So to her, the proud sons of heaven who could easily get the top spot without having to work hard seemed very dazzling.

Xiao Jue was one of them, and the most annoying one.

This young man was born a prodigy, but with a mind of a mule. He had a superior and refined family and had collected a lot of affection from people. He came to the academy every day but was often late to class. Sometimes he left early and usually didn't seem to pay much attention to the class. Yet he was always first in both liberal and martial arts.

He Yan was confused. God had already given him the beauty and honourable status, why did he have to give him wisdom too? Couldn't he give some of it to her?

God didn't answer He Yan, so she could only make up for her poor qualifications with tears in her eyes.

Gradually, He Yan's "Sword, Horse, and Bow" began to show results; though not as good as those youths who were accompanied by their parents and brothers to practice since childhood. Sometimes at their practice sessions, she could fight for the third to last place.