The Charm of a Powerful Woman Spreads Across the World

Chapter 13

Ru Feng, with her left hand behind her back and her right hand bent at the elbow and placed in front of her lower abdomen, took a step and swayed as she recited: "One mountain, two mountains, mountains far away, sky high, mist and water cold, longing for you, maple leaves red." Her gaze was fixed on the not-so-tall Maple Tree Mountain, her clear black and white eyes somewhat unfocused. Everyone followed her gaze, holding their breath as they waited for her to finish the poem.

Ru Feng turned her gaze back to the old man, silently lamenting that she had wronged Li Yu, before reciting the second half of the poem: "Chrysanthemums bloom, chrysanthemums wither, wild geese fly high but the man has not returned, a curtain of wind and moon hangs idly."

After a long while, no one spoke.

"Good!" The middle-aged, refined man led the applause, and the others followed suit.

"No wonder he's a child prodigy! To be able to compose such remarkable lyrics in such a short time!"

"That's right, it seems the rumors were true after all."

…………

The comments from others did not affect Ru Feng at all. She calmly looked at the old man, bowed, and said, "I have finished. Please give your comments, sir."

The old man said indifferently, "Longing? How old are you? You're already longing for women. If you're so longing, why are you still at the academy? You might as well go back, get married, and have children." He then gave a sarcastic smile.

Ru Feng smiled faintly: "Sir, you have probably misunderstood what I mean. So-called longing is not limited to missing one's beloved. Love is affection, but so is familial affection and friendship. I have just come down the mountain from my master's place and am now studying here. For more than ten years, I have spent little time with my family. Now, seeing the maple leaves, I suddenly felt a longing for my loved ones. So I wrote this poem. It was not my intention to anger you, sir."

Ru Feng put on a good show, but in his heart he cursed the old man, thinking, "He's just making trouble for no reason. Why doesn't he hurry up and take me away?"

The old man snorted but said nothing more.

The middle-aged, refined man said with delight, "You have passed the written test. Now please proceed to the martial arts test."

Ru Feng was overjoyed and bowed to express his gratitude.

The martial arts instructor was a man in his forties, tall and strong, yet he walked silently, suggesting he was a top-notch expert. It seems that Fengxian Academy is quite strong.

"You only need to survive thirty moves against me," the martial arts instructor announced in a booming voice.

Both bowed deeply. The teacher glanced at Ru Feng and immediately attacked, his fist aimed straight at Ru Feng's lower body. Ru Feng dodged to the side, using only half of his lightness skill to dodge, not wanting to attract too much attention.

She moved lightly, easily dodging the teacher's attack. Just as she was considering whether to make a move, the teacher suddenly stopped and said, "You win."

Everyone was puzzled, but Ru Feng simply smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "You flatter me."

Even though Ru Feng tried to conceal it, his strong aura was still felt by a top-notch master like his teacher during the fight. So, let alone thirty moves, he could easily defeat his teacher completely.

The middle-aged, refined man smiled and said to Ru Feng, "Congratulations on becoming a student of our Fengxian Academy. Please come this way; someone will take you to your accommodation."

Ru Feng was also happy, so she ran up to the old man and asked, "Old man, who was that handsome man just now?"

Everyone gasped. An old man...?

Unexpectedly, the old man didn't seem to mind at all, and just smiled and said, "You'll find out when the time comes." There was even a hint of kindness in his smile.

Ru Feng didn't notice any of this. Although he was disappointed, he was still very happy. There's plenty of time in the future, and he'll find his way to him eventually. Then... he... he hasn't thought of anything yet.

Thinking of this, Ru Feng jumped three feet high, his previous elegant scholar demeanor completely ruined. Everyone stared wide-eyed as Ru Feng skipped and hopped to find two other people, gesturing and talking about something.

!

Chapter 26 Old Acquaintances

Ru Feng found Yun Tianze and Rong Yiying, and excitedly gestured, saying, "See? Haha, I'm about to find out who that handsome man is."

"Do you like him that much?" Yun Tianze's expression was a little unpleasant.

Ru Feng quickly explained, "I just like looking at handsome men, and I like you too."

Upon hearing this, Yun Tianze's expression softened a bit, and he smiled broadly. Seeing Ru Feng's slight surprise, he smiled even more heartily.

Rong Yiying, standing to the side, rolled her eyes while holding her sword, looking at the two idiots in front of her.

"I'm going to sign up too," he said.

"Then I'll go cheer you on!" Ru Feng quickly said, snapping out of her daze at Yun Tianze's stunning smile.

Rong Yiying shook her head: "No need, I'm leaving."

"It's so cold!" Ru Feng said after watching his back for a while, then turned to Yun Tianze and said, "You should take the exam too, then we can be classmates."

Yun Tianze shook his head: "I don't need to take the exam. I came here through the recommendation of our governor. Moreover, Ru Feng, you've been fooled. Generally speaking, there are two ways to enter Fengxian Academy: one is through the recommendation of an official of the fourth rank or above in the court, and the other is through an exam. The so-called exam only requires passing one of them. Not only did you pass both, but the written exam was personally conducted by the vice headmaster of Fengxian Academy. The couplet he just gave you was one that no one had been able to match for many years, so your entrance exam was much more difficult than others."

Ru Feng was stunned for a moment, but was still very happy: "It's okay, I'm actually that amazing, haha..."

Yun Tianze was speechless; he had never seen someone so happy to be deliberately made things difficult for.

However, he rolled his eyes and said again, "Ru Feng, your future is going to be very exciting. You're probably already famous now, so more and more people will come to challenge you. Your life will probably be..." Finally, he smiled without saying anything more.

"Really? That's great! It's going to be lively. Hehe, I was so lonely up here on the mountain." Ru Feng clapped his hands and laughed, ignoring Yun Tianze's slightly distorted face.

She suddenly remembered something: just now... just now she seemed to have been a bit too unrestrained, jumping and skipping around, which really seemed to have ruined her image.

Thinking of this, she quickly calmed down, flicked her wide sleeves, and soon regained her elegant demeanor. She then subtly looked around and saw that there were no junior brothers or sisters here, nor any beautiful women. Everyone around looked like scholars, so she decided to let it go and pretend that nothing had happened.

Ru Feng is good at self-suggestion, and after a while, he puts the matter out of his mind.

She's now preparing to find a place to live, which is a top priority. A good roommate is crucial, but she doesn't know if she can have a room to herself.

Fengxian Academy is located on Maple Leaf Mountain, halfway up the mountain. To reach the academy, one needs to climb a long, rectangular stone staircase. There are many tall maple trees on both sides, and occasionally one or two small paths. When you reach a quiet spot, you may hear the sound of flowing water.

With clear springs, beautiful rocks, ancient trees reaching for the sky, lush forests and tall bamboos, and maple trees covering the mountains, the environment is exceptionally beautiful.

Without guidance from the others in the academy, Ru Feng and Yun Tianze walked up on their own. As Ru Feng walked up, he looked at the beautiful scenery around him and felt particularly good.

Compared to Ru Feng's ease, Yun Tianze was a little out of breath. His beautiful face was flushed from the exercise, and fine beads of sweat covered his full forehead.

After a while, Ru Feng noticed something and saw some rocks nearby. He quickly asked, "Are you feeling unwell? Should we rest for a bit?" He was truly a young master from a wealthy family. He never exercised and now he was so tired after climbing just one mountain.

Ru Feng shook her head seriously. She was carrying two bundles, one very small and the other extremely large, almost as tall as Ru Feng herself. Those belonged to Yun Tianze.

The academy rules forbade bringing servants; only students and other members of the academy were allowed to enter. Within the academy, one had to rely entirely on oneself.

However, Fengxian Academy is still very good. In Rufeng's opinion, it provides food, accommodation, and laundry services. Two people share a dormitory room. What a great deal! Before even entering the academy, Rufeng had already developed a liking for it. Not to mention the scholars he occasionally saw on the road, most of whom were handsome or refined, pleasing to the eye.

"Alright, let's rest for a while." Yun Tianze hurriedly replied happily, slowly taking out a fragrant handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his face. He also asked Ru Feng to open the large bundle, take out a cushion from it, spread it on the stone, and then sat down.

Ru Feng blinked and said, "Does it have to be so complicated? I think it's fine, that stone is very clean." Then she plopped down on another stone.

Yun Tianze shook his head: "I think it's dirty."

Ru Feng pouted, not arguing, but excitedly looking around.

Along the way, groups of two or three people passed by them, presumably students who were there to register, and they were excitedly talking about something.

Ru Feng didn't pay attention to these things at first, but the two people walking towards her caught her attention.

They were all around nineteen or twenty years old. One of them was wearing an expensive light blue brocade robe with peach blossoms embroidered in white thread on a blue background. He wore a silver crown, had a wheat-colored complexion, handsome eyebrows and bright eyes, beautiful facial features, and exceptionally bright eyes that darted around. A slightly wicked smile was on his lips.

The other was dressed in a moon-white brocade robe embroidered with elegant bamboo. He had a gentle, jade-like face, clear, starry eyes that shone with a serene light, as bright as the stars in the sky. He exuded a dashing and handsome air, and a tender smile graced his face.

Ru Feng stared blankly, feeling as if she had seen it before.

"What? Shorty, don't you recognize us?" The man in green smirked, lifting his small, wiry chin.

!

Chapter 27 Disappointment

Ru Feng was stunned for a moment, then quickly removed his hand, a warm smile on her face: "Silly boy, how could I forget you?"

As she spoke, she looked at the smiling person to the side. Ru Feng looked around and saw that there was no one there. So, she jumped into someone's arms and cried out, "Brother Jue, I missed you so much." Her voice was so sweet that even Ru Feng herself couldn't resist it.

Yu Jue swayed slightly before regaining his balance, and laughed, "Little guy, you've grown up, you're much heavier than when you were little." After thinking for a moment, he blushed slightly and said, "I've missed you too. I visited your home a few years ago, but I didn't see you."

"I was away on a long trip and just got back not long ago. I didn't expect to see you all here." Ru Feng was indeed very happy. Seeing her childhood friends was something to celebrate.

Her entire childhood was spent studying this and that, and she rarely had friends to play with, so she remembered Yujue and Yuxuan very clearly.

"Two grown men hugging each other, aren't they ashamed?" Yu Xuan said sourly from the side.

Honestly, they have the same relationship, so why is he so good to his brother?

"Ignore him, he's jealous," Ru Feng said with a smile, getting off Yu Jue's lap, afraid that if she hugged him for too long he would notice something was wrong.

"Who's jealous? You shorty, don't talk nonsense," Yu Xuan shouted, somewhat embarrassed and angry.

"Still short? I'm not short at all, okay?" Ru Feng straightened her chest and stood next to Yu Xuan, ready to compare heights.

Yu Jue laughed: "You two are still as fond of bickering as ever."

Compared to Yu Xuan, Ru Feng was indeed shorter. No wonder Yu Xuan still called Ru Feng "shorty" because Yu Xuan was tall, about 1.8 meters, which was indeed taller than Ru Feng. Moreover, he was sturdy, with broad shoulders and a thick chest that Ru Feng could not match.

“But I’m of normal height, not short at all.” Ru Feng wanted to be sarcastic, but when she saw that Yu Jue’s height was about the same, she had to give up.

Yu Xuan pinched Ru Feng's cheek: "Shorty, you're still shorter than me, but your hair has grown out. Congratulations! I always thought you'd just become a monk, since it's so convenient. Your head is so smooth even without shaving it."

Ru Feng rolled her eyes, ignored the guy, and turned directly to Yu Jue.

"Brother Jue, are you here to study too?"

Yu Xuan looked at his hands, the smooth touch still lingering in his palms.

Yu Jue didn't answer, but instead looked at Yun Tianze and said, "Ru Feng, you haven't introduced this brother yet?"

Ru Feng then remembered that he had left Yun Tianze aside earlier, and hurriedly said apologetically, "Sorry, I've run into two old friends."

Yun Tianze smiled and shook his head, looking thoughtfully at Yu Xuan and Yu Jue.

After introductions, they set off together. Yu Jue helped carry Ru Feng's heavy bundle. Yu Xuan and Ru Feng bickered along the way, while Yun Tianze was busy making his way and had no time to pay attention to anything else.

"Hey shorty, you were pretty good just now. You actually guessed right and got into Fengxian Academy."

"A fool is a fool. I doubt you can even fool him." Ru Feng sighed and shook his head.