Chapter 154: The Xiao Academy

As night fell, a small ship sailed away from Taiqing Island and toward the sea, vanishing from sight. The cultivators in purple were seated in the cabin, discussing matters over alcohol.

"Sir, you said that the third prince found that Nanfeng's not someone to be trifled with?" One cultivator in purple turned to their leader.

"That's right, but there's no need to worry. Regardless of just who he is, the third prince surely trumps him in status. We'll report back to the third prince, then head back to Taiqing Island in force and kidnap him secretly. He'll have no choice but to do as we demand then," their leader stated, smiling coldly.

"How will we kidnap him if he remains on Taiqing Island?"

"He'll head to the Isle of Xiao sooner or later, and we can make our move then. As for Zheng Qian, he doesn't know what's good for him. It's a tremendous honor for the third prince to have taken an interest in him, but for him to snub the third prince? Does he really think that the third prince needs him?" the leader criticized.

"Zheng Qian really is stubborn, isn't he?" the other guards nodded.

"How long can he remain stubborn for? We've already broken his friends and relatives' arms. Next time, we'll kill them and see if he obeys us then. He has his eyes on a woman, doesn't he?" The leader of the guards cackled.

"He does. A spy reports that she's a former colleague he's very close to."

"Find an opportunity to head to the Isle of Xiao and kidnap that woman. I want Zheng Qian to come begging at me."

"Sir, you're intending to claim that woman before he can, then?"

"Haha!"

As the guards laughed, their leader suddenly jolted upright.

"What bit me?" He looked at his leg and pulled a sea serpent off it.

"Snakes! They're all over!" the guards cried out.

Somehow, the cabin floor was now full of sea serpents that were furiously attacking them.

"Who's sailing the ship? How could they not have noticed these snakes?!"

"They're venomous! Kill them!"

Shouts came from the cabin.

Outside the cabin, Ye Dafu and his lackeys were dripping seawater as they stood above deck. The cultivators in purple that had been responsible for manning the ship had all been knocked unconscious.

"Boss, are we going to get in trouble for launching a sneak attack on the third prince's guards? We're deliberately provoking him, after all..." one lackey asked worriedly.

"I told you, you didn't have to come with me if you were scared. It's too late to get cold feet now!" Ye Dafu glared at the lackey who had spoken.

"Of course we have to come help you, Boss! But the leader of these guards is an Ascension-realm cultivator, and he looks to be stronger than you. Can we take him down?"

"I told the sea serpents that if they're able to poison all the cultivators in the cabin, I'll free them. They'll surely do their best to poison everyone. We need to take down these guards at any cost. It's the first big task that Senior Brother Xiao has left to us, and we can't make a mistake," Ye Dafu replied.

Just then, the door to the cabin suddenly opened up as the leader of the guards rushed out. His face was purple and black; he had clearly been poisoned.

"You?!" The leader of the guards drew his blade and swung it at them.

Ye Dafu retaliated with his own blade. The two cultivators clashed against each other and took a step back.

"Don't let the rest of the guards run away. Stop them!" Ye Dafu commanded.

"Yes, Boss!" Ye Dafu's lackeys rushed toward the guards, all of whom had been poisoned and were far weaker than normal.

"You fools! Ye Dafu, for daring to make the third prince your enemy, not even your father will be able to save you!" the leader of the guards roared, heading straight for him.

The two cultivators began to fight furiously. Ye Dafu had only just reached Ascension. Even though the leader of the guards had been poisoned, Ye Dafu was still no match for him, and he quickly suffered wounds as they clashed.

"I still haven't become an Immortal, and I still haven't found a wife! I can't die yet!" Ye Dafu cried out.

"Getting cold feet now? It's too late. Die!" the leader of the guards roared.

Ye Dafu's blade shattered on impact as he let out a chilling cry.

"Boss!" His lackeys all turned to him.

Just then, the leader of the guards was sent flying. He spat out blood in mid-air. All his clothes had been destroyed by the force of the punch; he fell back onto deck with his body curled up, grievously wounded and incapable of moving.

Everyone looked toward the man who had saved Ye Dafu in shock.

"Senior Brother? Didn't you want an alibi to free yourself from scrutiny? What are you doing here?" Ye Dafu gaped.

Xiao Nanfeng had just rescued Ye Dafu with a punch. He was still dripping wet, as though he had just swum over.

"Zheng Qian's covering for me, so I don't have to show myself anymore."

Xiao Nanfeng helped Ye Dafu up, then rushed at several of the guards who tried to flee by jumping into the sea. He took them all down instantly.

"Senior Brother Nanfeng, you're really amazing!" Ye Dafu's lackeys cried out.

"Thank you for your help, everyone," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

"Nanfeng? Why did you attack us?!" the leader of the guards asked weakly, still coughing out blood.

"I'm here to investigate who it was that attacked the friends and relatives of my companion, Zheng Qian. Come with me," Xiao Nanfeng commanded.

"You dare make an enemy of the third prince?" the leader of the guards shouted.

"This is unrelated to the third prince. I'm simply investigating a crime that happened to my companion," Xiao Nanfeng reiterated.

He didn't care if the third prince had ordered it; he wasn't about to let any attacks to his friends and family go unpunished. Going after the guards in the day, however, would have drawn too much attention.

"Who can sail a ship? Steer it toward the Isle of Xiao," Xiao Nanfeng commanded.

"I know how! I'll do it!" Many of Ye Dafu's lackeys volunteered at once.

At the same time, by the Taiqing harbor, Zheng Qian had arranged for a small ship to bring 'Xiao Nanfeng' toward the Isle of Xiao.

Xiao Nanfeng and Zheng Qian met up on the Isle of Xiao in the middle of the night.

They had trussed up the purple-clad cultivators with rope, and Zheng Qian had had them brought in for interrogation. Because it was dark, Xiao Nanfeng's original plan of inspecting the island had to be deferred; he and Ye Dafu's lackeys were brought to guest civilian houses to rest overnight.

The next morning, Xiao Nanfeng was woken up by the sound of children reading out loud.

Zheng Qian led Xiao Nanfeng to what seemed like a hundred greenhouses, each of which was filled with children. There had to be almost ten thousand in all, reading a wide variety of books.

"This many children?" Xiao Nanfeng gaped.

Zheng Qian smiled wryly. "Please don't mind, Benefactor. There are far too many orphans in Marquis Wu's territory, and I had them brought over here by ship. It'll let them survive without any cost but the shipping fees and the cost of their food, which the Isle of Xiao can provide with its fertile land. They're more than self-sufficient after just half a year."

"I don't mind that you've rescued them all, but I'm concerned you may not be able to take care of them."

"We can! There are plenty of refugees that have chosen to leave Marquis Wu's territory, and they're primarily responsible for taking care of these orphans. We have a whole suite of tutors, many of whom were past scholars, and a group of officials who can't bear to see the rampant corruption and grievances dealt to those in their homeland. With their careful attention, I'm sure we'll be able to give these children a comprehensive education."

As Zheng Qian and Xiao Nanfeng walked by, the tutors stepped out of the greenhouses, bowing gratefully to Zheng Qian.

"Everyone, this is the benefactor who's freed you all from Marquis Wu's oppressive regime. I was only able to help get you out on his orders, at great cost! He's the one you have to thank," Zheng Qian introduced.

"Thank you, Benefactor!" The tutors and officials bowed solemnly toward Xiao Nanfeng.

"Thank you for your hard work." Xiao Nanfeng returned their bow.

"It's not a problem at all," the tutors replied.

"Everyone, stop your reading. Get up and thank your benefactor!" one of the tutors announced.

The children who had been obediently reading raised their heads and glanced curiously at Xiao Nanfeng. They had suffered lives on the streets, and were well aware of just how precious their current environment was. They worked and studied hard in hopes that these privileges would remain theirs for good.

"We greet our benefactor!" the older children chirped, bowing.

The younger children emulated their actions. "We greet our benefactor!"

"Alright, that's enough bowing. I am Xiao Nanfeng. I hope you'll work hard on your studies and education. I would be grateful if you could lend me your support in the future; if not, it would still serve you well to learn a trade that you might ply," Xiao Nanfeng called out.

"Thank your benefactor!" the tutors announced.

They were all grateful for the generosity that Xiao Nanfeng had shown—a generosity that needed no repayment, at that.

"Tutors, scholars, I leave these children in your care."

"Don't worry, Benefactor. We'll do our best to teach them what we can!"

"Benefactor, it's a bit shabby at present, but we've established the skeleton of an academy here. Why not erect one in your name—with you as the head of the academy, and all these children as your students?" Zheng Qian suggested.

"Very well. Let it be known as the Xiao Academy. The students here will learn of politics and governance, cultivation and military tactics, and even management and economics. Mr. Zheng, I'll leave you in charge of finding suitable professionals and administering examinations," Xiao Nanfeng instructed.

"I will give it my all." Zheng Qian nodded solemnly.

"Let's see what else is on the island, then."

Zheng Qian nodded, leading the way toward the other facilities on the island.

Zheng Qian was truly a genius at management. He had brought over 30,000 civilians to the island in all, but everything was still running spick and span. In addition to the Xiao Academy, there were blacksmiths responsible for forging all manner of equipment, farmers for crops and medicinal herbs, physicians that could treat all ails that befell the islanders, chefs, construction workers, and even patrolmen. It was truly a society in microcosm.

Under Zheng Qian's guidance, Xiao Nanfeng gained a measure of the island as a whole. Many were refugees from the Taiwu Empire, who were very satisfied with their new standard of living and who felt immense gratitude toward Xiao Nanfeng. Xiao Nanfeng, for his part, thanked them and encouraged their continued diligence.

"Benefactor, we're continuously improving our standards of living. The islanders gathered here will be able to help you quickly take over Marquis Xiao's territory, but the development of the island has been and remains a significant expenditure for the moment, despite my best efforts to the contrary."

"Any problem that can be resolved with gold is minor. Mr. Zheng, you're truly phenomenal. I'm blessed to have you here," Xiao Nanfeng praised.

Zheng Qian demurred, "If not for you, Benefactor, I would already be gone from this world. I have promised you a decade of assistance, and I intend on giving it my all."

"There's no need for such courtesy, Mr. Zheng. I note merely the truth. Regardless of where you head in ten years, I guarantee that you will leave my employ as at least an Ascension-realm cultivator, with the benefit of long life that accompanies such achievement," Xiao Nanfeng promised solemnly.

Zheng Qian was somewhat disbelieving. Guaranteed Ascension-realm cultivation? Wasn't that a bit too excessive?

"You said that there were even grounds for drilling troops and patrolmen? Let's have a look," Xiao Nanfeng suggested, smiling.

"Of course!" Zheng Qian nodded.