Chapter 001: I got into... university!?

  Yin Kuang was admitted to university and was admitted to the nationally renowned "Jingxia University"!!

  Even in the depths of the Great Mountains, where communication skills are extremely backward, this news relied on word of mouth and spread to every corner of Liulang Village in a very short period of time, crossing the barriers of the mountains. From the elderly leaning on crutches to children who are just learning to speak, everyone knew about this joyful news.

  Our ancestors have accumulated virtue and blessings! The divine dragon has revealed its spirit! Our Liulong Village has actually produced a real, genuine champion scholar!!

  Suddenly, something called "auspicious air" enveloped and revolved over Liudong Village - just like the rumors that had been circulating: a divine dragon with great spiritual power was revolving in the sky above the mountain, covering and protecting the people of the mountain.

  Before long, a bright red "EMS" express delivery with the image of a champion hurdler in mid-air on its front was handed to YIN Kuang, the top scholar of Liudong Village.

  The drums and cymbals shook the sky, making an extraordinary noise.

  "Bang——bang bang bang——"

  Two strings of firecrackers exploded in the courtyard of Yin Kuang's home, filling the sky with red rain and white mist, enveloping Yin Kuang's still tender and astonished face, his frail body appearing and disappearing in the smoke.

  "What a genius has descended from heaven!"

  The oldest and most senior uncle of the Yin family stroked his sparse white goat beard, with a smile on his face like a blooming chrysanthemum. "That little fish girl back then has really made something of herself today."

  "Who says it isn't?"

  "It's just..."

  The happiest, most excited and thrilled people are Yin Kuang's parents.

  Yin Fu, upon hearing the news about his son's high school, didn't even care about eating and threw down his chopsticks. He pulled up Yin Mu from the field, who had mud all over her face, and rushed back home with wind under their feet, crossing over the Dragon Backbone Mountain. They were shouting to the heavens and making a huge commotion, completely unlike the strict father he normally was. At this moment, he was even more spirited than usual, not only changing into clothes that he only wore during Chinese New Year, but also unexpectedly borrowing hair wax from his neighbor Yin Fa Cai, and styling his chicken nest-like hair to be sleek and shiny.

  Yin's father chatted and laughed with relatives and friends, responding to everyone's congratulations, and suddenly felt that he had become 20 years younger!

  As for the champion, Yin Kuang, he was instead forgotten by those excited and envious people, standing there stupidly holding that bright red "EMS" express delivery, his bright eyes without any excitement or joy. It seemed as if the champion who got into the top universities in the country wasn't him at all.

  In his eyes, the brilliant smile of the hurdler and the bright red festive "EMS" packaging somehow made him detest it!

  Everyone was immersed in the joy brought by the top scorer of the college entrance examination, they recklessly set off firecrackers, from Yin Kuang's house to the village chief's house, then to the ancestral temple, and finally to the grave of Yin Kuang's deceased grandfather and grandmother... The crackling sound of firecrackers continued from noon until 8 pm, never stopping.

  Then, there was a banquet.

  Yin's father laughed with great satisfaction and pleasure, enveloping the entire Liudong Village surrounding the basin until late at night.

  When the guests had dispersed and the banquet was over, Yin Kuang came to his mother's side, "Mother..."

  Yin Kuang seemed to have mustered up a lot of courage, but in the end did not dare to look at his mother's face full of wrinkles. His mother, who was only in her early forties, looked like an old woman, with her slightly hunched back now bearing not only the drunk Yin Fu, but also the entire family.

  "It's a success! It's a success! The champion! Haha!" Yinfu shouted like a madman.

  Yin's mother carefully laid Yin's father, who was drunk, on the bed, covered him with a quilt, and then stroked Yin Kuang's face, saying: "Son, it's all right, all right..."

  She had just said two "good" words, and Yin's mother's dim yellow eyes were already a little moist. Without much culture, she seemed to be unable to say anything other than "good". As she spoke, Yin's mother also wiped her face with her apron, as if not wanting her son to see her crying.

  "Actually..."

  "I actually don't want to go to college!"

  Yin Kuang really wanted to say those words. But when he saw his mother's face filled with joy and on the verge of tears, his open mouth couldn't make a sound.

  He really didn't want to go to any university, really didn't, even if it was Beixia University, which is one of the top two universities in the country. The reason is simple and realistic: no money!

  A family of five, parents work as farmers, three siblings study, such expenses have already weighed down the parents. Now, university tuition fees are adding weight to their shoulders, a very heavy burden.

  Yin Kuang hated school, he wished to destroy every single one of them! In his eyes, schools were like "Zhou Bapi", stripping layer by layer the skin off their families. Every time they paid a fee, tuition, uniform fees, food and lodging fees, it was like sucking the blood out of his parents, stripping the skin off his parents! That's why he detested school!

  But he is a filial son. Although he hates every school, in order not to disappoint his parents and for the sake of every penny of tuition fees paid with blood and sweat, he has to study hard, very hard, even harder. Until he sees his parents smiling from ear to ear because of the bright red "100" on his report card, he truly feels that he is at peace with himself.

  But this time, Yan Guang really had enough!

  That university's enormous expenses are enough to crush this fragile home forever!

  He wanted to say "I don't want to go to college, I want to work, I'll take care of my sister's tuition".

  But... when he really faced his mother's wrinkled face, Yin Kuang couldn't say it out loud. He didn't dare to imagine how his mother would react if he actually said such a thing. Would she be angry, indifferent, disappointed, or heartbroken? Whatever her reaction, it wasn't something Yin Kuang wanted to see, absolutely not!

  "What's wrong, son?" His mother asked with concern, thinking that he was uncomfortable.

  "Nothing... nothing." Yin's eyes sparkled as he said, "Mom, I want to use the summer vacation to go to the county to work and earn tuition fees."

  Yin's mother hesitated for a moment, then said: "Alright, whatever you say goes. Mom will listen to you." Yin's mother knew that Yin Kuang was a sensible child with his own thoughts and ideas, and she also knew that she hadn't received an education, so naturally she would follow her precious son.

  "You're also tired, go rest. Mom still needs to take care of your dad."

  Yin Kuang left his parents' room. But he knew that his mother wouldn't be able to rest tonight. His drunken father might jump up and start ranting at any moment, and his mother had to keep an eye on him all night long.

  Two days later, Yin Kuang stood on the mountain head of Longwei Mountain.

  As he gazed out at the village of Liulong, nestled in the surrounding hills, Yin Kuang didn't feel much emotion. This was just a habitual action for him whenever he left Liulong Village. Then, with his hands clasped together, he faced the Dragon Head Mountain, which seemed to be slightly raised, and whispered: "Liulong... Liulong... If there really is an all-powerful dragon god, please bless my father, mother, and sister..."

  A gust of wind blew through, swirling in the basin, with a low, muffled roar...

  Two months later, Yin Kuang, who had been sunburned to the point of being as dark as charcoal, stood at the entrance of "Beixia University" in the capital of the Republic. The campus, with its red bricks and green tiles, flying eaves and hooked ridges, seemed to be telling a kind of sacred grandeur, like the courtyard of an ancient mansion.

  The majestic stone lions on both sides, vivid and lifelike. At first glance, they seemed to be just a fierce appearance, but for some reason, at the first glance, Yin Kuang suddenly felt that the two stone lions had come to life. The originally solemn and majestic exterior also became terrifying and ferocious, with their bristling manes standing on end. They opened their bloody mouths wide, let out a lion's roar, and pounced towards Yin Kuang...

  That open huge mouth, tongue pale, throat deep and dark, forest-like teeth gleaming with cold light, almost as if it would swallow him in one gulp!

  Ah!!

  Yin Kuang let out a terrified scream, fell backwards and sat on the ground, his whole body trembling like he had just been pulled out of water, completely disheveled.

  At this time, the north summer university gate outside gathered from all over the country's zhuangyuan. At this time, many people are still immersed in the excitement of being admitted to Beixia University. More people are proudly preparing to enter this civilized university with their heads held high and chests out.

  However, a sudden and terrifying scream startled everyone at the school gate. Even the security guard was shocked, thinking that something had happened, and hurried out to check.

  However, when they saw Yin Kuang sitting under the stone lion, shivering with fear and staring at the stone lion, they couldn't help but show a look of doubt, disdain, mockery or indifference. Some even whispered and laughed, "Look, there's a country bumpkin over there..."

  "Coward, you're already so big, yet you're still afraid of stone lions..."

  "Seriously... How could Beixia University admit someone like that. Embarrassing themselves at the school gate on the first day of school, what a loss of face..."

  "Never mind, just save some face and it has nothing to do with us."

  “……”

  After all, he was the gatekeeper of a famous university and had just retired from a special forces unit in a certain military region. Ge Ge pushed through the crowd, helped Yin Kuang up from the ground, and asked, "Classmate, how are you? Do you want me to take you to the infirmary?"

  Yin Kuang felt embarrassed and didn't want to stay at the school gate any longer, shook his head and said: "Thank you, I'm fine." Then, he didn't dare look at the stone lions on both sides again, nor did he dare look at other classmates, lowered his head and rushed towards the North Xia Gate.

  "Wait!"

  Just as they were about to enter the North Xia gate, a person stepped forward and blocked Yin Kuang's path, saying: "This classmate, I suspect that you are not actually one of this year's new students at North Xia. After all, every year there are many people who sneak into school during the new student orientation period and deceive inexperienced freshmen with various methods. Therefore, in order to ensure the safety of our classmates' belongings, we absolutely do not allow people with ulterior motives to sneak onto campus. This is the work of our discipline committee, please cooperate. So, please show me your admission notice."

  The young man's voice was not small, and many people around him heard it. Suddenly, the crowd buzzed with discussion, and they looked at Yin Kuang with strange eyes.

  Yin Kuang listened and suddenly felt his blood boiling with rage.

  The tall and handsome boy in front of him might really be preventing people with ulterior motives from entering the school, so he had to check Yin Kuang's admission notice. However, his high-and-mighty attitude, looking at Yin Kuang with a gaze as if he were a criminal, truly hurt Yin Kuang's self-esteem!

  Yin Kuang has never been an easy person to bully. Children from mountain villages may have the diligence and simplicity of mountain people, but they also have the wildness and unyielding spirit given to them by the great mountains. So, Yin Kuang neither picks fights nor is afraid of them.

  He glared at the tall, handsome boy in front of him, hiding his deep inferiority complex deep within his heart. At the same time, his eyes swept over the handsome boy's name tag, remembering his name.

  Koza no Makimuku

  His hand didn't stop, pulling out a beautifully packaged card from his old backpack, emitting a strong bookish aura, and slapping it onto the handsome boy's chest.

  In response to Yin Kuang's attitude, Gu Ze knitted his brow tightly, opened the admission letter, carefully checked every detail on it, and even called the admissions office to verify. Only then did he return the admission letter to Yin Kuang: "Welcome, Mr. Yin, to Beixia University. I hope you have a pleasant life of study here."

  Yin Kuang took over the admission notice and didn't look at Gu Ze's slightly narrowed eyes, passing by him.

  Then came to the front gate, lifted his foot and stepped across the threshold of Beixia...

  However, strangely, the foot that had originally crossed the threshold suddenly and inexplicably tripped on it, and in an instant, Yin Kuang's slender body lost its balance and fell forward.

  The next moment, Yin Kuang suddenly went black in front of his eyes and completely lost consciousness.

  It wasn't until much later that Yin Kuang slowly came to. The first thing he did after waking up was not to think about what had happened and why he had suddenly fainted, but to hurriedly feel his chest. When he felt the object still in his clothes, he let out a sigh of relief, "It's okay, it's okay!"

  That was the hard-earned money he had earned through two months of hard work, as well as all his savings over the years, totaling 15,000 yuan. For Yin Kuang, this sum of money was no longer just his tuition and living expenses; in a certain sense, it was even more important than his own life - it was proof of his independence, proof that he didn't have to rely on his family anymore, that he could earn his own living, and even support his two younger sisters' education.

  The significance of this money is far greater than its purchasing power.

  Make sure your money is still there, Yin Kuang starts thinking about his current situation, and at the same time, he slowly gets up and looks around.

  It didn't matter if he didn't look, but as soon as he did, Yin Kuang's eyes widened in shock and his face was filled with astonishment.

  What did he see?!

  He saw many people, a great many people.

  Of course, many people were not enough to shock him, because the Republic was not short of people. He had seen more crowds than this before. But what was strange was that these people were all lying on the ground, unconscious for some reason. They were either prone or supine, straight or curved, and some were even lying on top of another person. The scene looked like a picture he had seen online, where a group of foreigners protested against their government's policy by lying down in a square instead of demonstrating or marching.

  The scene in front of me is so different from what I imagined when I first saw the pictures!

  "What's going on?!"

  Yin Kuang's usually active brain was momentarily stunned.

  Looking around the environment: The sky is not a bright blue, but a strange dark red color. The sky is shrouded in black clouds that are connected together in patches, and only through certain gaps in the clouds can you see the dark red sky. The black clouds are stationary, covering the entire sky with no movement at all, giving people the feeling of being in a cold-toned painting, a realistic painting.

  Oppressed, extremely oppressed, whether physically or mentally, Yin Kuang had an unprecedented feeling of oppression, even to the point where he couldn't breathe.

  The surrounding buildings were of varying heights and shapes, some cylindrical, others square. Originally, these were ordinary modern-style buildings, but what was peculiar was the color used on their surfaces - a uniform dark red paint job. In stark contrast to these dark red buildings were the trees planted around them, which were not the lush green one would expect, but rather a dull gray. It was as if they weren't trees at all, but clusters of dark shadows.

  And then, on the dark grey trees, there were clusters of pale blue fruit - let's call them fruit for now. The pale blue light flickered like twinkling stars.

  Bizarre, eerie, gloomy!

  Yin Kuang felt as if he was having a nightmare. In his perception, the scene in front of him only appeared in nightmares. Yin Kuang suddenly wanted to pinch himself to see if it hurt.

  "Hey, buddy, where is this place?"

  As Yin Kuang was stunned, one after another woke up. They were all like Yin Kuang, confused and at a loss. Some even screamed in terror, cried, and cursed. In an instant, the originally quiet playground suddenly became lively.

  The person who asked Yin Kuang was the one who woke up after Yin Kuang.

  Yin Kuang looked at him, a young man of similar age and stature, equally handsome and tall, dressed in branded clothes. However, his expression was more sincere, at least not annoying. He replied, "I don't know either. I woke up and found myself here. Could it be... that this is the 'Beixia University' I got accepted into?"

  The handsome young man's eyes widened, "Here? Beixia!? No, this is absolutely not Beixia. I've been there, and it's completely different from here. Moreover, do you think the nationally famous Beixia would be in such a gloomy and terrifying state?"

  "Huh? What's so hot!" The young man suddenly exclaimed, frantically pulling out a card from his pocket, which turned out to be an admission notice.

  At almost the same time, Yin Kuang also felt that his hand had been scalded, and when he picked it up to take a look, it turned out to be the admission notice from Beixia University that he had been holding in his hand all along - at this moment, this notice full of bookish aura had changed its appearance, with dark red as the main color and black outline of strange patterns. If not for the words "Beixia University" still on it, he would have thought that his admission notice had been swapped.

  "Look, there are words up there!!" A strange voice suddenly rang out.

  "It's true... there are words! Oh no!!"

  Yin opened the admission notice with a sense of trepidation and was shocked by what he saw.

  On the notice, a spark suddenly ignited, and then the jumping spark began to wander on the paper surface, burning out a scorching track, which was -

  Welcome!