[ZHUILING] More Than Enough

Chapter 6

Dropping into his seat, he waited for the clock to tick by and for Lan Xichen to make his grand appearance.

And indeed, it was quite grand.

One step into the classroom and he had all the cultivators rising out of their seats and bowing, saying 'sect leader Lan' simultaneously. The two GusuLan disciples, Sizhui and Jingyi, were trudging behind him as well. Jin Ling didn't dare to make any sort of eye contact with either of them. He just let himself stare at the wooden planks while bowing.

Xichen had taken a seat and all the welcoming's were put to a stop. Jin Ling made sure to sit back down on his matt before listening to what the sect leader had to say. "I'll be a guest to the Cloud Recesses for this week. I expect some great things accomplished, and hope that you'll prove my uncle's theory wrong."

     "His uncle's theory?" Jin Ling mumbled in confusion. The rest of the cultivators seemed to do the same.

     "Ignore that, please." Xichen smiled. "Now then, let's continue on with where you guys left off from the latest lesson."

Jin Ling had dazedly listened to the lesson, though he almost felt as if his spirit wasn't there. He was still preoccupied, thinking about the past event of Sizhui and Jingyi's argument. Their voices still rang in the back of his head, echoing like a never-ending sick beat. "Young Master Jin Ling, did you hear my question?" Xichen's voice had snapped Jin Ling back to reality. "Huh? Oh," Jin Ling perked awake. "Sure..."

     "Sure?" Giggles piled in the back of the classroom. "Young Master Jin," Xichen smiled. "I'll repeat for the eleventh time. Do you believe which sect's archery skills are better? Yunmeng Jiang or GusuLan?"

     "Yunmeng." The word popped out of Jin Ling's mouth with no hesitation.

Gasps exploded in the classroom, with shocked expressions spiralling onto the cultivators' faces. "Oh, really? Why do you think so?" Xichen asked.

"Huh? Oh..." Jin Ling twiddled his thumbs. "It's because Yunmeng Jiang is known for its victories during the archery competitions with the Big Five sects, right? And GusuLan doesn't seem like they focus much on archery." He awkwardly admitted, with concerned expressions directed towards him. Xichen's smile had only broadened by the passing seconds. "How about you showcase Yunmeng Jiang's archery skills for us, Jin Ling?"

     Jin Ling blinked. "Huh? Why me?"

     "You're sect leader Jiang's nephew, right? You've also studied archery in Yunmeng Jiang before, so I'd like to see how good their discipline had done for you." Xichen pressed. A sense of nausea overcame Jin Ling. He wanted to ask why the Lan sect leader would mention his uncle, and if he had an obsession, but this questions had disintegrated into thin air. "Oh, so that's what this is about." Jin Ling sighed.

     "Sure," He haughtily exclaimed. "I'll do it."

In within the span of a neutral blink, all the cultivators were rounded outside where archery targets had stood plainly. A beauteous waterfall sprinkled behind the disciples, with plentiful of water droplets capturing Jin Ling's attention. The beauty was outstanding for sure—especially since there was no other similar scenery in Lotus Pier nor Koi Tower.

     "Would we like a demonstration of GusuLan's skills in archery?" Xichen asked. He scanned throughout the crowd of GusuLan disciples. "Sizhui! How about you show off the average archery skills in GusuLan?"

     A current of prayers for Jin Ling had scurried throughout the crowd.

     "The poor guy. He's about to get wrecked from a nobody."